Change in Me
by etsunara
Summary: Katherine Anderson and her parents move from New York, New York to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Right across from the Curtis's house. She meets the gang, and there's something special about Dallas Winston. Kind of a bad summary, I usually figure out the nitty gritty part of the plot as I write, but that's a general idea of the story. I own nothing. DallyXOC pairing.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So a lot of this is going to be movie based, since it's easier to watch a movie than read a book. Dally is going to look like he does in the movie, because I fell in love with that Dally. Plus I just got the two disk novel edition of the movie in the mail, so it shouldn't be too far off, if I remember correctly. Anyways, I loved this book (and the movie) ever since I read since middle school. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one except for Katherine, and any of my other characters that my appear.**

**Chapter One:**

My family used to be rich, but things happen. Mom said Dad lost his job, and I'm sure he did, but I knew there was more. I knew my dad was gambling our money, and he had an unfortunate loss. I knew that was why he couldn't just get another job here. So we moved from the high class "Soc" area of New York, New York, to the low class "Greaser" area of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

And there I stood, at the front of Tulsa High School on Monday morning. I never expected to be changing schools at seventeen. I wore jeans and a t-shirt. I know, simple, especially for a girl coming from a Soc lifestyle, but there wasn't much I could do about that. My dad sold almost everything we had that we didn't need, and that barely gave us enough money to move. As always, I styled my auburn hair in its typical wavy style that fell just past my shoulders. I never wore much make-up, and I didn't need it, either. My blue eyes stood out on their own.

I took a deep breath, and stepped through the front doors, looking down at my schedule and school map; I had already registered the day before with my mother and father. Because I was looking down, I ran right into someone.

All my papers and books I was holding fell down to the floor.

"I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed, kneeling down to pick up my papers. "That was all my fault, I wasn't looking where I was going." As I was reaching for my schedule, the last thing I need to pick up, my hand hit someone else's hand, causing both of our hands to recoil. Mine out of shock, his out of nerve. I looked from the shaking hand to a boy with big, scared puppy eyes, dark, greasy hair, and a scar on his face. Our eyes locked for a moment, but I quickly looked away, and grabbed my schedule. I stood up and held my hand out to help him up. He only hesitated a moment before he took it. "My name's Katherine Anderson. I'm new here."

"Johnny Cade," the boy said. "You lost?" He still looked scared, but he seemed to be trying to hide it.

I probably would end up lost, but I was new, so I'd be excused for it, and I probably wouldn't miss anything too important. "No, I'm fine."

We stood there silently for a moment before he broke the silence saying, "Well, I gotta go."

I nodded. "Sorry again." I called as he walked away.

"No big deal," he said with a shrug. He seemed to have calmed down, which was good. I walked off towards my first class wondering what could have scared him so much.

Naturally, school was boring. But that didn't change that I was a great student. When I got home, I started studying immediately, only to be interrupted by a knock at the door. I sighed, and put down my pencil.

Coming!" I called.

As I approached the door, I heard someone whisper, "Why are we even doing this Darry?"

"It's a nice gesture, Pony," he replied.

"Yeah, but we don't exactly have the money for a 'nice gesture', that's all I'm saying," the first voice replied.

"That's why I made something instead of buying something," the second voice replied, sounding annoyed.

I took a deep breath and opened the door. I opened my mouth to speak, but then saw the scared boy - Johnny Cade, he said his name was - standing with the group. "Johnny?" I asked.

'You know her?" The youngest boy asked. He had light brown, almost red hair, grey-green eyes, and he was thin, but seemed to have a pretty good build. For someone his age.

"Uh, yeah," Johnny said. "We, uh, ran into each other this morning at school."

I smiled. "That's an understatement," I muttered. I took in the rest of the group. There was one boy with movie-star good looks, dark-gold hair, and dark brown eyes. Another boy - or I suppose man better described him - who had a muscular build, dark brown hair, and ice blue eyes. He also had a bowl of something in his arms. Behind the first three, there were four more. One boy had a Mickey Mouse shirt on, and he had a switch blade in his hand that he was playing around with, there was another boy with his hair combed in thick, complicated swirls, another boy had dark hair, and a mean look to him, but there was something about him that kept my eyes on him slightly longer than the others, and Johnny stood by him.

We stood there silently for a moment. "Um, so, how can I help you?" I finally asked.

The boy with the muscular build held out the bowl. "Welcome to the neighborhood, I guess. My name's Darrel Curtis. This is Ponyboy Curtiss and Sodapop Curtis."

"Thanks," I took the bowl, peaking in to see a potato salad. "Katherine Anderson. You guys can come in if you want."

It was silent when I turned to go to the kitchen, but I knew they had come in.

"She sure don't look like a Greaser girl," someone said. He was quickly shushed.

"Where you from?" I think that was Darrel.

"Uh, New York," I said, returning to the living room. "I don't really have anything to offer you guys, we just got here a few days ago. Sorry. Who's the rest of your, um, gang."

"That's Two-Bit Mathews, Steve Randle, and Dallas Winston," Darrel introduced.

"Anything a girl aught to know about this neighborhood?" I asked.

"Don't stay out late, and know how to fight," Dallas said, speaking up for the first time. He was also the one who had caught my attention earlier.

I didn't really know what to say to that, but, fortunately, Darrel spoke up. "Don't scare her, Dally. Well, thanks for inviting us in, but we gotta go now."

"Thanks for the potato salad," I said, walking them all to the door, and holding it open for them.

"See ya around," Johnny said, following Dallas out of the door.

"What a strange bunch," I muttered to myself after they left.

I returned to my homework, and headed to bed when I was done. Now that we were poor, both my parents had to work to maintain this little shack of a house, so they were both still out when I went to bed. They were also gone when I got up for school.

The rest of the week followed in a similar pattern. By the time the weekend hit, I hadn't set foot out of my house. I'd done my homework, and gone to bed. But I didn't get homework today, so, when I got home from school, I wasn't sure what to do. I poked my head outside hesitantly, and saw the group of boys that had come into my house earlier that week sitting in the yard of the house across from me. What were their names again? Darrel, Ponyboy, Sodapop, Johnny, Two-Bit, Dallas , and… Oh, right, Steve.

"Hey, she finally comes out!" One boy called -Sodapop, I think.

"Well, don't be shy, come on over!" I think that was Two-Bit.

I hesitated, but decided to cross the street and join them. I was offered a beer (I think that was Dallas), but I shook my head.

"You sure dress your hair up a lot," the same guy noted. I had blow dried my hair so instead of falling flat, it was wavy. I didn't think it was all that special, but I guess it was above the standard for a Greaser girl.

"Dallas, right?" I asked. He nodded. "Well, yeah, I'm from New York, it's kind of a habit. I was a Soc until my dad lost his job and we moved here. Now we got nothing." Immediately after I said that, I regretted it.

"So you're a Soc?" Dallas asked, giving me a look.

"Um, well," I looked around at all the guys. All of them except Johnny (who was looking down like a confused, lost puppy) were giving me the same look as Dallas. I couldn't name it, but I didn't like it. I stood up immediately I stood up. "I-I have to go." I turned on my heel and hurried back to my house. I shut the door and locked it, leaning against it, with my head down, fighting tears.

Don't cry dummy, I scolded myself. So what if you just ruined your only possible friendships here? That's nothing to cry about. You're strong, and independent, and you don't need friends. You just need a distraction.

"That's it! I'll get a job!" I said excitedly. "Mom and dad will like the extra income, anyways."

I pushed away from the door, and went to my room to read a book and wait for Mom and Dad to come home.

A couple hours later, I heard the car engine.

That's earlier than expected, I thought.

I got up and went out to greet them, quickly unlocking the door when I remembered I had locked it earlier. I didn't need to be questioned about that.

"Welcome home, you guys are home early," I said, hugging my parents when they came in.

"Yes, and even so, it's unusual that you're greeting us," Mom said, hugging me back.

"Yes, well, I had an idea," I started.

"Oh, no, she has an idea," Dad teased. "Hope it didn't hurt."

"Ha ha, very funny, Dad," but I smiled none the less. "I was thinking of getting a job."

"Whatever for, dear?" Mom asked.

"Well, I don't really have any friends here. I mean, I won't fit in with the Socs, we don't have the money for that, and I'm no Greaser. So I just figured, if I had a job, I'd be able to keep myself busy."

"Well, I don't see why not," Mom said. She looked at Dad. "What do you think, dear?"

Dad looked hesitant, so I spoke up. "I can pitch in money to help with the bills and stuff. I can pitch all of it in, actually. Unless I need something, then I'll use that to buy only what I need. So you guys don't have to worry about it."

I could see both my parents wanted to argue with me, but they stopped and thought about it. "Let your mom and I talk about it, okay? You should go to bed now, we can talk in the morning."

I nodded and made my way to my bedroom. I didn't feel particularly tired, but I got ready for bed, and crawled in none the less. Sooner than expected, I was fast asleep.

**A/N: Well, not much to say here. I hope you enjoyed it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I don't really like fishing for reviews, but if you guys could review, that'd be great. I love that I'm getting subscribers, but if you review, you can tell me if you like it or not, and what I can do to improve and what not. But I hope y'all are enjoying the story! I have finals coming up, but I'm doing my best to stay ahead of what I'm posting. I'm gonna try and not post too often. Maybe once a week, or something like that, so I'll have time to stay on top of my chapters. Anyways, time line wise, things may take a longer to happen in my story than they did in S. E. Hinton's book and in the movie, but just bear with me, please. **

**Disclaimer: So far, I only own Katherine, everyone and everything else belongs to S. E. Hinton.**

**Chapter Two:**

I woke up early on Saturday, and, still in my pajama's, hurried into the kitchen to see my parents still there and eating breakfast.

"You're up early, dear," Mom said.

I nodded, and said, "Did you guys talk about it? Can I get a job?"

My dad laughed. "Yeah, we talked about it. As long as it's in walking distance, we don't have a problem with it."

"There's a DX gas station not too far from here," Mom said. "You could always work there. Or maybe as a waitress at the diner?"

"Okay, thanks," I said. I would check out the garage first. I loved working on my dad's car. Back in New York, when we actually had a garage, I would wok on our car every day. None of my friends, except my best friend Kayla, knew about my hidden skill. It was totally not okay for a girl to work on cars. Not by Soc standards, at least.

"We're heading out now, don't wait up for us, okay? We'll be working late," Mom said, giving me a hug.

"Bye," I said, hugging Dad too, and I watched them leave. I had a quick breakfast, and got dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt. Instead of doing my hair like I usually did, I kept it straight, and pulled it into a pony tail. Just how I always did when I worked on my dad's car.

I peaked out of my house, and saw no one was outside across the street. I sighed with relief, and made my way down town. I didn't want to deal with the Curtis' or any of their friends.

The garage wasn't hard to find, and I walked up there.

"Hey!" I looked up surprised at the voice, and saw Sodapop running up to me. "Katherine! What are you doing here?"

I froze, not sure if I should pretend yesterday never happened, or if I should run. In the end, I decided to take my first course of action. "Um, I'm actually looking for a job."

"Here?" Sodapop looked surprised.

"Yes, here," I said. "I know my way around a car just as well as any guy here."

"Is that so?" A new voice asked. I looked up to see an older, well built man. "The name's Mike, I'm the owner of this place. You want a job here, then you gotta prove you do know your way around a car just as well as any of the guys working here."

"What do you want me do, then?" I asked.

"That car needs to be fixed. Can you fix it?" He asked.

"If it's fixable, then, yes, I can," I responded.

"Let's see you work, girl," Mike said. "Tools are over there. Since you seem to know Soda, I'll let him help you out a bit, but I wanna see you doing a lot of the work."

"No problem," I said.

Sodapop and I made our way over to the car, and a thought occurred to me. "Your boss - Mike - he called you Soda, didn't he?"

"Yes ma'am," Soda said.

"Do you prefer that?"

"Well, it's certainly a hell of a lot easier," Soda laughed.

I smiled, starting to forget about the previous night. If I could do this right, which I knew I could, then last night definitely wouldn't have happened. I hoped.

"Okay, so tools are here, car's there, obviously, we need to-" he started, but I interrupted him.

"Let me figure out what we need to do first," I said.

"Have it your way," he said with a shrug. "Let's see what you got, girl."

I slid under the car and started looking at it.

"Who's under there?" A new voice asked. It sounded familiar.

"Katherine," Soda said.

"The Soc?" The new comer asked.

"Nah, she ain't no Soc now, Steve," Soda said.

Steve, that was his name!

"You sure? She sure ran like she was hiding something yesterday," Steve said.

"Well, maybe next time she tells us something, we shouldn't give her that look," Soda said.

"It ain't our fault Johnny nearly got beat to death by some good for nothing Socs," Steve said.

They were trying, and failing, to whisper, so I figured I probably should forget I just heard that.

I coughed loudly and pushed myself out from under the car. I gave the boys a pointed look, and then immediately got to work.

I pulled out from under the car again when my work was done.

"Well, there ya go," I said with a grin. The boys had been watching me open mouthed. "All done, and good as new."

"Well, that was quick," Soda said. "I'll go get Mike."

Steve and I stared at each other for a moment, before I finally said, "I might have been a Soc before I moved, but I'm not anymore. I know I ain't a Greaser girl, but this is the only place I'll have any chance to fit into now."

Steve opened his mouth to speak, but Soda had returned with Mike so he could inspect the car.

"Wonderful job," Mike said, after his check. "You're hired. Come to my office, and we can fill out some paper work."

"Thank you!" I said with a smile.

He led me to his office, which was rather messy. He had wrenches and other tools sitting on his desk, and papers everywhere, and there were car pictures hanging on the wall, and a picture of what I assumed was his family sitting on his desk. He sat at his chair behind his desk, and nodded at the chair across from him, where I sat. We talked paper work and formal stuff, and I signed some papers, officially saying I was an employee here.

"Here's a vest, and I'll get you a name tag when you start working. You want it to say Katherine on it?" He asked.

"Yeah. Wait, no, actually, can you put Kat on it? K-A-T," I asked.

"Sure thing." He made a note on a piece of paper. "Can you start tomorrow?"

"Sure thing, what do I wear?" I asked.

"What you're wearing now is fine, along with your vest," he said. "Oh, and keep your hair in a pony tail, or tied back somehow, I don't want to be liable for a girl whining over her hair. Or any injuries that may come with getting your hair stuck in something." He pulled out a calendar, and started figuring things out. "You still got school, so I'll have you come in Monday through Thursday, but only from three to five. Friday, I'll have you work three to ten, and Saturday and Sunday I'll have you work from ten to six. You'll get paid $1.25 an hour. Any questions?"

"No, sir," I said. "I'll be in at three tomorrow."

"Good to have you," he said. We stood and shook hands, and I turned to leave. I nearly ran into Soda on my way out of the door.

"What can I do for ya, Soda?" Mike asked.

"Well, I know I don't get off for a while, but she's new to the neighborhood. Mind if I was her home? You don't gotta pay me for it."

"You don't have to, Soda, I can take care of myself," I said. "Besides, it's broad daylight."

"That ain't gonna stop no Soc from having his way," Soda said, giving me a look.

"Sure, Soda, just don't take too long."

"Wouldn't dream of it, sir," Soda said with a smile.

We walked in silence for a bit, until Soda said, "Well, looks like we'll be coworkers now. So welcome to the crew."

I looked up to see him smiling down at me, and I returned it.

"It's not you, we just ain't so friendly to Socs," Soda explained. He hesitated, and then continued. "Johnny got beaten pretty bad by a group of Socs. Nearly killed him."

"We, er, they ain't all like that. I certainly never was," I said.

"I know, and I'm sorry about the way we treated you, we just weren't expecting it," he said.

"No big deal, I guess," I said with a shrugged.

We walked in silence for a while, and we were almost back to my house, when we heard a boy yelling.

"Darry!" He cried.

"Pony?" Soda asked no one in particular. Then he looked at me. "You should get on home now, Katherine." Without another word, he turned and ran, and I saw him join with the rest of his gang.

I knew I should have listened to him, but after a moment of hesitation, I followed Soda. When I get there, the group was chasing off some Socs, and Ponyboy was laying on the ground, looking close to tears.

"Ponyboy!" I hurried to his side. I saw blood on his neck, and it reminded me too much of-

No, don't think about that, I thought to myself. I looked up to see the gang kicking at the Socs' car.

"Ponyboy, you okay?" I asked. I wiped his neck with the bottom of my shirt. I didn't know why, but my hand was shaking.

"I-I- yeah, yeah, I think so," he said, but he sounded far from okay. His voice was shaking, reminding me of-

No, stop thinking about that, I thought to myself. But I was starting to feel light headed, and I could sort of smell Ponyboy's blood. Or maybe that was just my memory working.

I shut my eyes tight. Stop thinking about that, I scolded myself.

"Ponyboy!" I looked up and saw Darrel running over. "They didn't hurt you too bad, did they?" Darrel asked.

"Hey, Pony," Soda said, coming over. Then he saw the blood. "Did they pull a blade on you?" Soda asked, noting the blood.

"Yeah." Ponyboy turned his head, sounding close to tears.

Hearing them talk about blades, seeing Pony's blood, and hearing his shaky voice was too much for me. Everything seemed louder than it really was, and the world looked as if it were spinning.

I stood up, a little too quickly, and took a few shaky steps back, but fell flat on my butt.

I tried not to think about that night, but the memory came anyways.

"_Someone's coming," Kyle said. "Katherine, hide. Behind that dumpster."_

_I did as I was told, and just in time._

"_Hey there, punk," a rough sounding voice said. "What are you doing out here all alone, so late at night?"_

"_None of your business, buddy," Kyle said calmly._

"_I'm about to make it my business, punk," the guy said. "Ain't no one gonna get away with slashing my tires."_

_Everything happened fast then. The guy had friends, evidently, because Kyle was pinned against the wall, and they started punching him till he bled, and as if that wasn't enough, the guy had a knife, and started slashing at his face and arms._

_The kept up until Kyle was limp in their grasp. They let him go, and he fell to the ground._

"_Don't you forget that lesson, punk," the guy said, and walked off with his friends._

_I sat trembling in the shadows. I was only six. What was I supposed to do about this? I sat, huddled behind the dumpster, crying silent tears, until I was sure they were gone._

"_Katherine," Kyle whispered weakly._

"Katherine!"

My eyes snapped open, and I was staring up at Soda.

"What happened?" I asked. Why did my head hurt? I wondered silently to myself as I rubbed it.

"You sorta passed out," Soda said, helping me up. "I told you, you shoulda gone home."

"Yeah, a fight ain't no place for a girl," Dallas said.

That pushed me over the edge. "Just 'cause I'm a girl don't mean I don't know how to take care of myself, Dallas Winston," I said angrily, giving him a glare. I wrenched my hand from Soda's, then added, "And I've seen worse than that little fight." With that said, turned on my heel and marched to my house.

**A/N: As I said earlier, I don't like fishing for reviews, but please do, let me know what you think. Again, bear with the timeline difference, please. I hope you enjoyed! **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So, to reply to a guest review, from OMG, I'm really glad to hear you like it! Also, you kind of just gave me an idea (: I'm hoping I don't forget it, but, as I said before, I do tend to let my stories right themselves. So we'll just have to see what happens.**

**Also, I changed a bit in the first chapter. Not much, really, I just fixed up the first paragraph. I literally added, like, two sentences, so you should probably go back and reread the first paragraph. It'll help me with future chapters and such. Anyways, enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: S. E. Hinton owns everyone and everything except for Katherine.**

**Chapter Three:**

Monday morning, I got up for school, and got dressed in my usuall jeans, but instead of wearing my usual white t-shirt (the one I got blood on from Ponyboy), I had to wear a ratty, greasy one. I usually wore it when I was working on cars back in New York.

I met Ponyboy outside our houses and we made our way to school.

"Where's Johnny?" I asked when we were almost to school.

"Probably skipping," Pony said. "He don't come to school mu-"

"Ponyboy! Wait up!" We looked back to see Johnny running to catch up.

"Hey, Johnny, didn't think you'd be coming today," Pony said.

"Well, why not?" Johnny asked.

" 'Cause you usually don't," Pony replied.

I smiled at their friendly interaction.

"I'll see you two after school!" I called as I hurried off to my first class.

School was going as it usually went until I was leaving English and my teacher called me over.

"Katherine, can you come here for a second?" She asked.

"Yes, Mrs. Carols?" I asked.

"I just wanted to make you aware of a scholarship program," she explained, handing me yellow sheet of paper. "You just need to write an essay about personal experiences. It can get you up to $1,000. I've read your writing, it's pretty good, you should consider it."

I smiled. "Thank you, Mrs. Carols."

I knew she meant well, but there was no way a little scholarship would help me go to college. Not with my family's current financial situation.

I went through the rest of the day thinking about that scholarship.

If only… I thought to myself as I headed for the front door to meet up with Ponyboy and Johnny. But it's just not possibly.

I opened the front door and saw them waiting for me.

I smiled when I saw them.

We talked about our classes a bit, but we mostly talked about the rumors and drama going around school until we got to the gas station. It was my second day, but I hadn't needed any training, I just got straight to work.

"Hey, Steve, Soda," waved as we approached.

"How was school, nerd?" Steve teased.

"Better than being here all day, lug nut," I teased back. Steve and Dally were kind of similar, except when Steve was mean (to me, at least) it was a joke, when Dally was mean, well, who knows what goes through the boy's head, but it certainly didn't feel like he was joking.

"Hey, ain't there a school dance coming up or something?" Soda asked me after Ponyboy and Johnny had left. A car just came up needing an oil change, so we started working on that while we talked.

"Maybe, who's keeping tracking, though?" I asked, sliding under the car to take a look.

"I thought a pretty Soc girl like you would want to go to school dances," Steve teased.

"Not me, never been to one," I said. "Hand me a wrench, will ya, Soda?"

"Never?" Soda asked, looking genuinely surprised, handing me a wrench when I slid out from under the car.

"They're no fun if you ain't got no one to go with," I said with a shrug. "Steve, grab me that bucket."

He handed me the buck. "No one ever asked you?" He asked.

"Nope," I said, sliding under the car again to drain the oil.

"Well, why not?" Soda asked. "You're cute, you're funny, you're nice, what's not to like?"

I laughed. "Thanks for the confidence boost, Soda, but I'm usually not as outgoing as I am with you guys. I was usually pretty quite. I didn't like drawing attention to myself. Plus, back in New York, Soc girls only really hung out with other Soc girls." I came out from under the car, finished with the oil change. "I mean, I never hung out with guys. It just wasn't cool. Not for Soc girls. If you had a boyfriend that was one thing, but if you were just hanging out with a guy who was a friend, well, rumors started to spread that you were sleeping around with them, and you were a tramp. I've seen it happen before."

"Well, that ain't the case with us," Steve said.

"Obviously," I said. Besides that one car, we had no customers. We just sat around, teasing each other, and when five came, I was ready to leave.

"Hey, hold up!" Steve called. "Lemme call someone so they can come walk you home, it's getting dark."

"Thanks, Steve, but I really can take care of myself," I said. "I may be a girl, but I know how to fight."

"You shouldn't walk around alone," a new voice said, and I looked up to see Dally coming over. "It ain't just Socs you gotta look out for. There are other Greaser gangs that'll take a bite out of a pretty girl like you. I'll walk you, I was just heading over to see Johnny anyways."

I just 'hmphed' and turned and made my way home, not caring if he followed or not. Sadly, he did follow.

"Hey, Princess, I don't know what I did to upset you, but that ain't no way to treat a gentleman," Dally said, running to catch up to me.

"I hope you ain't talking 'bout your self," I said. "I've seen rats that are more of a gentleman of you."

"Harsh," Dally said, though he didn't sound too offended. I looked up to see him grinning down at me. I just rolled my eyes at him and picked up my pace.

"Aw, come on, you don't gotta be like that," Dally said.

"Yes I do," I said, turning to face him. "I know your type, Dallas Winston, and I ain't that easy to get, so just quit trying to hit on me."

He just stood there staring at me, mouth open.

"I guess no one ever told you off," I said, "But I do know how to take care of myself, so don't even think of messing with me."

"Well, ain't you a feisty one?" Dally asked.

"Ugh," I groaned, and I hurried ahead of him. It wasn't long until we got to the Curtis's house.

"You gonna come over?" Dally asked.

"Depends, you gonna leave me alone?" I asked.

"Sweetheart, I ain't never gonna leave you alone," he said, giving me a cocky grin. I rolled my eyes, but when he turned to go into the Curtis's house, I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face. I shook my head, and headed into my house to change out of my DX shirt, and grab a book I needed to read for school.

I headed over to the Curtis's, and I was a second from knocking when Dally opened the door.

"Oh, great, it's you," I said, pushing past him.

"Well, well, what'd you do now, Dally?" Darry asked.

"No idea, you know chicks, they like to make drama, man," Dally said.

I sat there reading my book for English when he said that, and I looked up and gave Dally a pointed look, "You call you hitting on me, me causing drams?" I asked him.

"You was just talking about how no guy has asked you out." I looked up as Soda and Steve walked in.

"Yeah, well, I ain't looking for Dally's type," I said, looking back down at my book. Soda and Steve headed back to Soda's room, and I wasn't sure where Johnny and Ponyboy were. It was just me, Dally, and Darry in the living room.

"Hey, Katherine," Darry called suddenly.

"Yeah?" I asked, looking up.

"You're a senior, aren't you?"

"Yeah, what of it?" I asked.

"What are you plans for the future?"

"I'm not too sure anymore," I said as I absently dog eared the page I was on and closing my book. "I was going to go to college, back when we lived in New York, but now, I'm not so sure. There's no way my parents can afford college unless I get a full ride. I might be smart, but I ann't that smart. I guess I still gotta talk to my parents about it, though."

"Isn't there something you'd really like to do?" Darry asked.

"Well, sure, but I ain't getting it without a college education," I replied with a shrug.

"What do you want to do?"

I looked down, not sure how the two of them would react, but finally said, "I wanna teach. More than anything."

"That's lame," Dally scoffed, and my head snapped up and glared at him. "Why would you wanna go back to school when you're done? Hell, why would anyone wanna go to school at all?"

"Because maybe some people like it, Dallas," I said, still glaring. He might be cute, but he had some personality. And by some personality, I mean a crappy personality.

"Relax, girl," he said with a grin on his face. "You don't need to yell."

I just sent him another glare, and with a huff, I looked back down at my book.

"Hey, what you reading?" Dally asked, getting up all up in my face.

"Stay out of my face, Dallas," I growled. "You're getting on my last nerve."

"So what happens when I do get on your last nerve? Do I get something special?" He was pushing my book aside and trying to straddle me.

"Keep at it, and you'll get a nice punch in the face," I said.

"Oooh, is that so?" He asked, backing off for a second, but only a second. He started at me again.

"Get off!" I shouted, shoving with all my strength. I think the only reason Dally fell back on top of the table was because I had the element of surprise. "Keep your damn hands off of me, got it, Dallas?"

"Okay, okay," he said. "You didn't have to push me." He looked annoyed and I didn't want to stick around and see what he did to me.

"Stay the hell out of my space, Dallas Winston!" I yelled at him again. I grabbed my book, and marched over to my house.

"Dally, did you really have to do that?" I heard Darry ask as I was leaving.

I stormed past Ponyboy and Johnny as I left the Curtis's house and headed into mine.

Not a second after I slammed my door shut was there someone knocking.

"Dallas, I swear if you don't leave me the hell-" I started yelling, but I stopped when I opened the door. "Oh, Johnny. Hi. Sorry."

"It's cool," he said. We stood there in silence for a moment.

"Um, c'mon in." I stepped aside for him.

He came in a stood in silence for a moment, hands in his pockets, and head down. He looked scared, but beyond that, he was kind of cute. I was about to speak when he said, "Darry told me what Dal did back there, and it wasn't cool, not at all, but you gotta give the guy a chance, he ain't all that bad when you get to know him."

"Look, Johnny, you've known him longer, I get that, but you also ain't a girl," I said. "I ain't willing to give him a chance right now, 'cause I an't willing to let him get all in my space. I had a friend, well, never mind - look, I'm sorry, Johnny, I just can't put up with that kind of guy."

"He just don't always think, that's all I'm saying," Johnny said. "He's a good guy, as long as you're his friend."

"I don't think he's looking for friendship from me, Johnny," I said. "Look, Johnny, my best friend from New York got raped 'cause she wasn't smart, I ain't gonna make the same mistake."

Johnny looked up at me with pleading eyes, but then looked back down. "I-I guess I see your point. I just… he's like a brother to me." Johnny looked back up at me. "Get closer with the gang, he'll leave you alone, promise. He don't wanna mess with members of the gang, we're like family."

"I know what it's like to have an idol Johnny, and I do believe he's a good person, just so long as you're a person he wants to be good to," I said.

"That don't make no sense, Katherine," Johnny said.

"No, I suppose it doesn't," I said. "Don't worry about it Johnny, okay?"

"Yeah, sure, okay," he said. "Hey, I know you don't wanna be around Dal, but how about you come with me, Ponyboy, and him to the movies. It'll be fun."

I sighed. "I dunno, Johnny, I'll-" A knock at the door interrupted me. I went to open it and came face to face with Dallas Winston. "What do you want?" I practically spit at him.

"I just came to get Johnny, no worries, Princess," he said with a sly grin.

"You sure you don't wanna come?" Johnny asked, going outside to stand with Dally and Ponyboy.

"If _he_," I jerked my head Dally, "Can keep his dirty hands to himself, then, sure, I'll come along."

"Fine by me," Dally said.

I sighed, and grabbed a coat. Dally tried to put his arm around me as we left, but I ducked and hurried ahead of him. Maybe it was because Johnny and Ponyboy were there, but he didn't try anything else on me for the rest of the night.

**A/N: The next chapter will be the same night (the drive in theater scene), but I was at about 2232, so I figured I'd stop it here. Would you guys prefer longer or shorter chapters? Or are the current chapter lengths good?**

**Also, how did I do with Dally? I hope I didn't put him too OOC, and I hope it's not too soon for him to start doing this.**

**Anyways, let me know what you guys think! Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This is probably the only part in my story that I will actually try to make almost exactly like the movie. The Drive in movie scene was one of my favorite scenes.**

**Disclaimer: as always, I own nothing in S. E. Hinton's **_**The Outsiders**_**, I only own Katherine.**

**Chapter Four:**

We slipped under the fence to get into the theater, and found some seats in the back to sit in. We had just sat down when two Soc girls sat in front of us.

"Are you sure about this, Cherry?" The girl with short, dark brown hair asked.

"I came here to see a movie, and I'm gonna see a movie," the other girl said - Cherry, her friend had said. She had red hair, and she sounded annoyed.

Just then, Dally leaned forward when he lit his cigarette. When he leaned back, he looked over at Ponyboy and Johnny (I chose to sit on Johnny's side farthest from Dally) and said, "That's some cute red head." I rolled my eyes. He leaned forward, and said to Cherry, "Are you a real red head?" Are you real?" Dally laughed a little and grinned.

"Hey, come on, Dal," Johnny said, trying to stop him.

Dally ignored him, and put his feet up on the seat in front of him and feel completely off his chair. I wasn't sure if he was trying to show off or if he was just that lame. It tried to ignore him and watch the movie

"Hey, how can I find out if this is you're real red hair? That this," he lifted a few strands of her red hair, "Is the same red hair that you have on your, your," he looked down, and then back up at her face, "Your, these eyebrows here?"

He leaned back and laughed.

"Cut it out, Dal," Johnny said.

Dally seemed to not hear him, and leaned back and put his feet on her chair.

"Get your feet of my seat, and shut your trap, would you?" She asked angrily.

"Who's gonna make me?" Dally asked,

"I'm gonna get a coke," Johnny said, getting up. Dally moved his feet so Johnny could get out.

"Leave her alone, Dal," Ponyboy said.

"Who's gonna make me?" Dally asked her again.

"Leave us alone, or I'll call the cops," she said.

"Oh my, my, the cops," Dally said. "You got me scared to death."

"Why don't you leave us alone?" Cherry asked. "Be nice, and leave us alone?"

"I'm never nice," he said, then leaning close to her, he asked, "Could I interest you in a coke-a-cola, or a 7 Up?"

"Get lost hood!" She yelled.

"I'm sorry, I, uh, I didn't know you had a problem with yelling in my face," Dally said.

"Well, Dallas, maybe if you stayed out of her face, she wouldn't yell at you," I finally spoke up, and I glared at him.

"Hey, I'm staying out of your face, Princess," he said, grinning at me. "Tonight, at least." He got up and went off to Lord knows where.

Suddenly, Cherry turned around, looking at Ponyboy. "You gonna start on us, too?"

"No," Ponyboy said pointedly.

"You don't look the type, anyways," she said. "What's your name?"

Ponyboy sat up tall, and said, rather proudly, "Ponyboy Curtis." I realized he was bracing himself for her to laugh at him.

"That's an original name," she said.

"Yeah, my dad, he was an original person," Ponyboy said. "I got a brother named Sodapop, even says so on his birth certificate."

"My name's Sherri, but my friends call me Cherry 'cause of my hair," she said.

"Yeah, we go to the same school, you're a cheerleader," Ponyboy said.

"Yeah," Cherry said.

"You don't look old enough to be going to high school," her friend said.

"What's a nice boy like you doing hanging out with that trash?" Cherry asked.

"Dally's my buddy, I'm a Grease too, we're all friends," Ponyboy said defensively.

"Your brother, Sodapop, he works at the gasoline station, the DX, right?"

"Yeah," Ponyboy said, as Johnny came back.

"Ah, Soda's the cute one," her friend said.

"He's a doll, shoulda know you was brothers," Cherry said.

Just then Dally came back and started handing out drinks.

He sat down next to Cherry and handed her a drink. "Here, I thought that might cool you off."

She looked down at her drink, took the straw out, and tossed the drink in Dally's face. "Maybe that'll cool you off, Greaser. When you learn to talk and act decent, maybe I'll cool off, too."

"Oh, fiery, just the way I like them," Dally said, wiping his face, and then going for Cherry.

"Get off of me!" Cherry said, pushing at him.

"Come on," Dally said.

"Get off!" Cherry was still struggling.

I was getting ready to punch Dally into next week when Johnny stood up. "Leave her alone, Dal.

"What'd you say?" Dally asked.

"Come on, you heard me, leave her alone," Johnny said.

"What'd you say to you little shit? What'd you say to me?"

"Come on." Johnny's voice sounded week, and he looked scared as hell.

"Wise ass," Dally said. Without another word, he kicked his chair over and left.

"Thanks for that," Cherry said. "He had me scared to death."

"You sure didn't show it," Johnny said. "Ain't no one talk to Dal like that."

"From what I saw you do," Cherry said.

"Why don't y'all come sit up here with us?" Her friend asked. "You can protect us.

"What do you say, man?" Johnny asked Ponyboy.

"Might as well," Ponyboy said with a shrug, but then they both looked over at me.

Johnny opened his mouth to speak, but I spoke up first. "Just go, you don't gotta worry about me."

The two boys shrugged and joined the girls, but Cherry was still looking at me.

"What's your name?" Cherry asked.

"Katherine," I said. "Who's your friend?" I nodded at her friend who was talking with Johnny.

"I'm Marcia," she said, looking back and smiling.

"You new around here?" Cherry asked.

"Yeah, I just moved her, from New York," I said.

"That sounds nice," she said. "What are you doing hanging out with Dallas?"

"I'm here 'cause of these two," I said, nodding at Ponyboy and Johnny in turn. "I don't want anything to do with Dallas."

"I don't blame you," Cherry said. "I know about Dallas Winston, he's always looking for trouble." She turned forward and started to talk to Ponyboy and Johnny, and I was so into the movie, I didn't even see Two-Bit show up and sneak up behind Johnny.

"Hey, whatcha doing, Greaser?" He cried, grabbing Johnny. Poor Johnny looked terrified.

"Hey, what are you two doing sitting with these grandmas when you got a beautiful, young girl back here?" Two-Bit asked.

"They wanted us to protect them from Dally," Ponyboy said.

"So you leave this young lady all alone?" Two-Bit asked, indicating me.

"For the record, Two-Bit, I can take care of myself," I told him.

"Yeah, that's what I heard from Darry," Two-Bit said. "I swear, if he ever tries to do that again, just let me, Soda, Steve, or Darry know, we'll take care of it."

"Thanks, Two-Bit," I said.

Once the movie was over, we all headed over to the fence, making our way to our own little exit.

Cherry, Ponyboy, and Johnny were talking, and Two-Bit and Marcia were talking, which left me lingering behind to my own thoughts and observations, which I was fine with. That was why I saw the car first.

"Hey, who's that?" I asked.

Cherry looked up. "Marcia!" She called, and the two girls reconvened together.

"Oh no, it's them, what are we gonna do?" Marcia asked.

"Stay cool," Cherry said.

The car stopped, and Cherry and Marcia turned to face it, with me, Ponyboy, Johnny, and Two-Bit standing behind them.

"Cherry, what're you doing?" A Soc asked when he got out of the car. "Just 'cause I got a little drunk-"

"A little? You call reeling and passing out on the street a little drunk?" Cherry asked angrily. "Bob, I told you I'm never going out with you when you're drinking and I mean it!"

"Yeah, but that's no reason to go wandering the streets with these bums," his friend said.

"Who you callin' bums, pal?" Two-Bit asked.

"You," Bob's friend continued. "Look, Greaser, we got four more of us in the back seat."

Two-Bit spun around breaking his pop bottle against the fence, handed it to Ponyboy, and took his switch blade out, opening it when he face the Soc again. "Then pity the back seat."

"If you're looking for a fight…" Bob's friend said, sounding scared.

"I am lookin' for a fight!" Two-Bit cried.

"Just-just put the knife down, man, come on," the Soc said. I grinned, and changed my stance a little bit. If there was a fight, I wanted to be ready to defend myself or run, whichever came first.

"Come on! Come on!" Two-Bit yelled, sounding riled up.

"Stop it! Just stop!" Cherry said. "I hate fights, we'll go with you, Bob, just stop, okay?"

"Fine, just hurry up," Bob said.

She said something to Ponyboy, but I was looking at Johnny, who was staring at the Bob, and he looked scared out of his mind. I walked over to him as Cherry left, and put my hand on his shoulder. He started and looked up at me.

"You okay?" I asked, as the car drove away.

"Yeah, it's just…" he trailed off, staring at the car as it drove away.

"Hey, that ain't the guy that jumped you, is it?" Two-Bit asked.

Johnny stayed silent, looking at the ground.

"Johnny," Two-bit said.

"Don't worry about it, 'kay?" Johnny asked.

Two-Bit was silent for a bit before he nodded. "Fine, let's head home."

We walked in silence back to our houses.

We got to Johnny's house, and heard his parents yelling. "I hate it when my parents fight," Johnny said. "Wanna go to the lot, Pony?"

"Sure," Ponyboy said.

"I'm heading home," Two-Bit said. "I'll walk Katherine home, first, though.."

"Alright," Ponyboy said. "Night!" He called after us.

"Night!" I waved.

Two-Bit and I walked in silence for a while, before I finally asked, "What was that about a Soc jumping Johnny?" I asked.

"A couple months back Johnny got beat up pretty bad by a group of Socs," Two-Bit said. "Nearly killed him. One of them had rings on, and that's how he got that scar on his face. Plus his dad hits him a lot. But the big scar is from the Soc."

"Oh man," I said. "I remember my bro- er, one of my friend. He got beat up pretty bad. It was awful."

"He got beat up by Greasers?" Two-Bit asked.

"Actually, no, by a couple of Socs," I said.

"But weren't you a Soc?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's kind of a long story, but I did have a Greaser friend," I said vaguely.

I felt Two-Bit's eyes scrutinizing me, but I ignored him. "Well, thanks for walking me. Night." I said quickly, running into my head.

"Night!" He called after me.

I closed the door behind me, and slid slowly to the floor. My eyes closed, remembering watching Kyle from behind the dumpster.

It really had been awful, I thought to myself. There had been so much blood. I was surprised he survived that night.

As I drifted off to sleep, sitting in front of my door, I wondered where Kyle could be…

I jolted awake suddenly when I heard yelling outside.

"Ponyboy! I didn't mean to!" That was Darry. I got up and peaked out.

I saw Ponyboy running down the street, and Darry and Soda standing on their porch helplessly.

"What happened?" I asked, walking over to their house.

"I hit Ponyboy, but I didn't mean to," Darry said.

"Well, aren't you going after him?" I asked. "You make such a big deal about me walking alone in broad daylight, and it's the middle of the night.

Darry and Soda just looked at me.

"Well, fine, then," I said. "I'll go." With that said, I ran down the street following Ponyboy's steps. I didn't look to see if Soda and Darry were following me, I just ran. "Ponyboy?" I called. "Pony! Where are you?" That's when I heard yells from the park. I sprinted there, and froze for a second when I saw the scene. Two guys (Socs, I assumed) were kicking Johnny to the ground, and two more Socs were trying to drown Ponyboy in the fountain. Without thinking, I charged at them. "Let him go!" I cried, as I rammed into the Soc drowning him. I vaguely recognized him as Bob from earlier. I pushed him off of Ponyboy, and I punched him in the face, but that was the only punch I could get on him before he was on top of me.

"Johnny! Go get help!" I cried right before Bob punched me in the face.

"Stupid bitch!" He shouted. He flicked out a switch blade. Fear encased me, but I suddenly heard Kyle's voice in my head, teaching me how to fight.

_As a girl, if you get in a fight with guys, you'll most likely be weaker than them. But guys have one huge weakness. Right in the groin._

I wasn't thinking anymore, just reacting, as if Kyle were right there, instructing me. I brought my leg up quickly and hard, getting him right in the groin. He groaned in pain, and rolled to the side, but his blade still cut my face a bit.

_The eyes are another good spot to hit, regardless of the gender of your opponent. Biting is fun, too._ I could practically see his smile.

Before I could attack Bob again, he was coming at me. I tried to scramble away, but he grabbed my long hair, and slashed with his knife. I cried out in pain, not expecting that to hurt. I scrambled to my feet, and looked down at my hair that lay on the ground. Then I looked up at Bob. We stared at each other for a moment.

"You bastard!" I yelled, and I charged at him, punching him in the gut, but I guess it wasn't hard enough, because he punch me right back in the gut.

"Come on, girl, just stop fighting, I don't wanna fight no girl," he said.

"A little late for that, ain't it?" I asked, trying to land another punch on him. He grabbed my hands, blocking me, and I did the only thing I could think of: I bit, and I bit hard.

"Aaah!" He cried out in pain, and slashed at me with his knife, cutting my upper arm, and then he punched me in the face. I feel to the ground and saw him approaching me, but my vision was blurry.

Well, this certainly isn't how I expected this to end.

All of a sudden, Bob turned around, and someone picked him up and was yelling at him. I let my head fall to the ground, too week to keep looking.

I heard shouting, but my eyes were closed, and my brain wasn't comprehending what was being said, and who was speaking.

"Katherine?" Finally, words started to come through. Sort of. "Are… okay… therine?"

All I could do was groan, but I managed to flutter my eyes open. "…las?" I mumbled, looking into Dally's concerned eyes for a second before my eyes shut again.

"Shit… do guys? She's hu…" I didn't hear him finish because everything went black.

"_Hey, Kit-Kat, you okay?"_

_I looked up to see Kyle. I smiled weakly. "I think so… I feel cold, but my head feels hot."_

_He felt my forehead. "Yeah, you're burning up." He sighed. "This is why you shouldn't stress yourself out so much."_

"_Mom and dad won't make you leave, will they?" I suddenly asked, bolting up into a sitting position, causing the room to spin around me._

"_Hold up there, girl," he said, grabbing my shoulders and gently pushing me down. "Lay down and rest, so you can get better." He kissed my forehead. "Rest well, Kit-Kat." He stood and started to leave._

"_Wait, Kyle," I said weakly._

"_Rest, Kat. Please, for me?" He asked, looking over his shoulder, but still heading out the door._

"_Don't leave me," I said. "Kyle!"_

"Kyle!" I cried, bolting up right.

Light streamed into my room, and I was laying in my bed, and my head hurt. What happened? I tried to get out of bed, but someone put a hand on my shoulder.

"Stay down, Katherine," he said, trying to push me back into bed.

"Kyle?" I asked turning, and coming face to face with Dallas Winston. My face turned bright red.

"Who's Kyle?" He asked.

"N-no one!" I said, still red. What was Dallas Winston doing in _my _room? "A-a friend f-from N-New York."

"Okay, okay, just relax, quit stuttering, I didn't mean to freak you out," he said.

Reluctantly, I lay back down in bed. "Why are you being so nice?" I asked.

"Because, Katherine, you're the reason why Ponyboy and Johnny are still alive, or at least not bruised and battered," he said. "I might be mean and harsh, but I care about my gang. They're the only family I got. So I appreciate what you did."

I didn't know what to say to that, so I closed my eyes and whispered. "Call me Kat." I didn't know if he responded or not because I was asleep the second I said that.

This time I didn't dream about Kyle; I didn't dream about anything. It was really nice.

**A/N: I kept adding more to this chapter, but finally decided to split it up when I hit around 3200ish words. I didn't want this chapter to be super long, and the next chapter to be super short haha.**

**After reading MewMewLollipop's review, I went back the chapter three and tried to fix it up a bit, so I'm hoping Dally's more in character.**

**Also, there's gonna be a new character next chapter. Also, the next chapter is when things will start differing from the book.**

**As always, let me know what you thought, and I hop you enjoyed this chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I want to say thanks to Jackie for reviewing! Not much here to say except I have finals this week, then I'm done with the winter semester! I'm ready to be done, though. It also means I'm that much closer to seeing my boyfriend again.**

**Since I've never said anything in this particular story, my boyfriend recently joined the Air force, and left for Basic training about a month ago. On may 22****nd****, I'm going down to Texas to see him for his gradation. I cannot wait! I miss him so much! But I feel awful that I missed his last two phone calls.**

**Anyways, enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. S. E. Hinton still owns The Outsiders.**

**Chapter Five**

When I wok up again, I wasn't as confused, and my room was also empty. Slowly, I sat up, and was happy to see I wasn't all that sore, and the room didn't spin. Still moving slowly, I got out of bed and made my way to the bathroom. I gasped when I saw my reflection. My right cheek was bruised, and I had a cut on the left side of my face going from my temple to my chin. At least it didn't look too deep, or like it would get infected or anything.

But the thing that shocked me the most was my hair. It used to be long, and wavy, falling to the middle of my back, but now it was short and uneven, and it looked really ratty (but I suppose that will happen when you've been laying in bed and you don't shower). The shorter parts fell around the top of spine and the base of my neck, and the longer parts fell around shoulder length.

"My hair…" I said, remember how Bob had grabbed my hair when I ran and had slashed at it.

"It don't look that bad." I turned to see Soda in the doorway, wearing his DX shirt.

The first thing I could think of saying to him was, "Oh, no! Work! How long have I been out?"

"Just a couple of days," he said.

" 'Just'?" I asked. "I've missed a couple of days of school and work, then. What day is it?"

"Uh, Friday," Soda replied.

"Friday!" I cried. I groaned. "I'm never gonna catch up in school, and I'll bet Mike wants to fire me."

"Nah, Steve and I explained the situation to Mike, he's okay with it. He said to take as much time as you need."

"Really?" I looked up at him.

He laughed and nodded. "Really." Then he sobered up and added, "Hey, the guys have been real worried about you. Wanna come over?"

"No! Not like this!" I made a vague motion around me hair.

"It ain't that bad," Soda said.

"Yeah, says the guy with good hair," I said. I sighed. "Give me a second."

I pushed passed him to go to the kitchen, looking for scissors, but the first thing I saw was a note on the table.

_Dear Katherine,_

_Your father and I talked, I've decided I'll work while you're in school and at work yourself (though I'll be working all day on weekends) and try and be home when you're home. Your father is already working doubles everyday, so I don't need to work everyday. Ever since those boys brought you home that night, I wanted to try and be there for you as much as possible. I'm out right now shopping, but feel free to leave the house, as long as one of those boys is with you! I don't want you hurt again. I've given them permission to come and check on you as well._

_Feel better, sweetie,_

_Mom_

With a shrug, I put the letter down; I figured I could talk to Mom when she got home.

Finding a pair of scissors, I went back to the bathroom, and started evening my hair out. My hair was shortest in the back, at about the top of my spine, and it gradually got longer as it got to the front.

I turned at looked at Soda. "What d'ya think?" I asked.

"Cute," he said with a grin. "Now will you come over and see the guys? Ponyboy and Johnny have been especially worried about you; they blame themselves for what happened, so they haven't found it in them to come visit yet.

I turned and looked in the mirror, lightly touching the cut on my face. I sighed, and said, "Yeah, I'll come over." I looked down and realized I was still in the same clothes I wore on Monday, and noticed the blood on my shirt. "Just let me change first."

I hurried to my room and closed my door. I opened my dresser, remembering I didn't have much because Dad decided to get rid of it all. I'm pretty sure he sold as much of it as he could.

I grabbed the only clean clothes I had, which just so happened to be a flowery print skirt, and a dressy white shirt.

"Hey, you almost done in there?" Soda called.

I was staring into my mirror, surprised at how I looked. My new short didn't look that bad when I was dressed up like this. It made me miss New York, and my friends there. I shook myself and turned away from my mirror.

"Promise me you won't laugh," I called to Soda.

"Why would I laugh?" Soda asked.

"Just promise," I said.

"Okay, I won't," Soda said.

I opened the door and stepped out. "I didn't have anything else."

He just stared. "You look great," he finally said. "Why would I laugh?"

"I-I don't know," I said. " 'Cause I don't usually dress like this?"

"Well, Kat," he said, putting his arm around me. "I think it's a great look on you."

I smiled weakly. "Let's just go."

He led the way over to the Curtis's house, and we went into the living room to find Darry, Dally, Steve, and Two-Bit sitting around the T.V.

"Hey!" Steve looked up when I entered. "How are you? You-" he stopped talking, taking in my appearance. "Wow."

The room was silent. Finally, I said, "It ain't that big of a deal, is it?"

"We've just never seen you wearing anything other than jeans and a t-shirt," Steve said.

"It looks nice," Dally said. "You look nice." I glared at him. "What? I ain't doing nothing."

"Not yet," I muttered.

"Ponyboy and Johnny are out in the lot. They wanted to see you when you were feeling better," Darry said, clearly trying to prevent a fight between me and Dally.

"Okay, I'll go there now," I said, just wanting to get out of that house.

"I'll walk you," Dally said.

"No thanks, Dallas," I said.

"But you don't even know where the lot is," Dally said.

"Soda can walk me, then," I said. I looked at Soda and added, "Right, Soda?"

"Sure, no problem, Kat," Soda said, getting up and walking me out of the house.

Having nothing better to say, I said, "I guess Dally passed on the nickname." Ugh. The guy was a total ass, why did I keep thinking about him?

"Yeah, he did," Soda said. "Why the sudden nickname?"

"It's easier than Katherine," I said with a shrug. "It's also similar to the nickname Kyle gave me."

"Who's Kyle?" He asked.

"He's, um, a… a friend," I replied.

Soda gave me a look, but said none the less, "Well, okay, then."

"I think I'm going to go back to work tomorrow," I said. "The short hair is probably a good thing now. I won't need to worry about it getting caught in a car or something."

"If you're sure you're ready," Soda said. "Pony said there were a lot of rumors going around about you at school, and the DX is bound to be busy when people hear you're back."

"I learned a long time ago that you can't hid from rumors," I said. "You gotta face 'em head on."

Soda looked at me, and burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"Nothing, nothing," Soda said. "You just really amaze me, sometimes. I don't think I've ever met a girl like you."

"Is that bad?"

Soda just laughed, and hurried ahead of me.

"Hey, wait up!" I called after him, laughing as I chased him to the lot.

"Hey, Johnnycake! Ponyboy!" Soda called as we got to the lot. "Y'all got a visitor!"

"Who?" I heard Ponyboy ask.

"Just me," I called.

"Kat!" Johnny and Ponyboy called at the same time, running into my sight.

"How are you?" Ponyboy asked.

At the same time, Johnny said, "We've been so worried!"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," I said. "Darry said you blamed yourselves for what happened, but you shouldn't. You didn't ask them Socs to jump you, they were looking for trouble."

"Still, we should have been able to take care of ourselves," Ponyboy said. "I should have been able to take care of myself."

"You were one person against four, Pony, there was no way you could have done that," I said.

"Steve is tough enough to take on four people at once," Pony said, sounding kind of upset.

"Well, you ain't Steve," I told him. I sighed. "Look, guys, so what if my face is a bit bruised and I have a cut that will probably turn into a scar and never go away. So what that my hair got chopped off. It's hair, it'll grow back. The important thing is that no one's dead. I'll be okay, I promise. And I don't give a shit about rumors spreading about me. I can deal with that."

"We were just so worried," Johnny said.

"I know, I would have been worried, too, if one of you guys were in my position," I said. "But we're all okay, so let's not worry anymore, okay?"

Ponyboy and Johnny looked at me, nodded, broke into grins, and hugged me, saying, "We're glad you're okay."

"And I'm glad you guys are okay."

I got up at eight to get ready for my shift at the DX at ten. I took an extra long shower, just to relax, and when I got out I stared at my reflection. Gingerly, I touched the cut on my face. It was starting to heal. A little. The bruise wasn't looking much better, either. I poked at it a bit. I sighed and went to get dressed.

Just as I was pulling my pants on there was a knock at the door.

"C'mon in!" I called.

"You ready for work, Kat?" Soda called as he (and I'm assuming Steve) came in.

"Yeah, I am," I said, pulling on my socks and heading out to the living room. I slipped my shoes on. "Let's go."

Soda, Steve, and I headed out to work, teasing each other on the way.

"Hey, did you talk to your mom about her new work schedule?" Soda suddenly asked.

"Yeah, weekdays, she's gonna work while I'm in school and at work," I said. "But weekends, she's working doubles like my dad, so she won't be home on the weekends."

"Well, you got her during the week, at least," Steve said as we entered the DX.

"Hey, Kat, come here a second, would ya?" Mike called from his office.

"Sure," I called, and followed him into his office.

"You sure you're ready to come back to work?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, I gotta put myself on a normal schedule," I said. "Besides, it's just a little bruise and cut, no big deal."

"Well, if you're sure," he said.

He didn't sound convinced, so I added, "If Soda's right, a bunch of curious people will be showing up, so I might just increase our sales."

"Okay," Mike said. "But if anyone starts giving you trouble, let me know. I'll take care of it."

"Yeah, sure, no problem, Mike," I said. I got up and went back out with Steve and Soda.

"When do we get paid next?" I asked.

"Should be today," Soda said. "Don't know how much you'll get, though. Why?"

"I just need some new shirts. Ones without blood on them," I said.

Around one, Pony, Johnny, and Dally showed up. We were all standing at the gas pump talking when a voice from behind me called out, "Hey, Kit-Kat!"

My eyes widened in surprise. No one had called me that since… well, since Kyle left. He was the only one to ever call me that.

The boys could see the surprise in my eyes, and I didn't want them to freak out on me, so I turned my head.

He had the same auburn hair and blue eyes as me, but his skin was a little darker than mine. He was tall and muscular, and he had on jeans and a t-shirt, and a jean jacket, despite the warm weather.

I stared at him until I couldn't contain my smile any longer. "Kyle! It's been forever!" I cried, as I ran to hug him. "I've missed you."

He let me go, and ruffled my hair, but his hand stopped, and his eyes darkened when he saw my face.

"Katherine Jane Anderson, what the hell happened to you?" He asked. I knew he wasn't angry at me, but the guys didn't know that.

"Kyle, calm down, I-"

"Who the hell did this to you?" He interrupted me, his voice getting louder, and he grabbed my shoulders.

"Kyle, please, calm-"

"Answer me, Katherine!" He shouted, tightening his grip on my shoulders.

"Kyle! Shut up! You're gonna get me in trouble!" I exclaimed in a whisper "And you're hurting me."

I looked around but it was already too late. Steve, Soda, Pony, Johnny, and Dally were making their way over.

"There a problem here?" Dally asked.

"Even there was, I wouldn't want your help," I said. "But, no, there ain't. Kyle, these are my friends, Soda, Steve, Johnny, and Ponyboy. This is Kyle, my older brother. Oh, and that's Dallas."

"Yeah, yeah, sure, whatever," Kyle said. "You gonna answer my question?"

I sighed. He never did drop topics easily. "Pony and Johnny got jumped, I happened to be there, so I tried to help them," I said. "The guy had a blade and he was drunk."

Kyle sighed. He still looked angry, but he had cooled off a bit. "You really changed, kiddo. I never expected, well, this to happen to you." He made a vague gesture at my face.

"Things change, you should know that better than anyone," I said, giving him a pointed look.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked.

"You know exactly what it's supposed to mean," I said. "Kyle, I haven't seen you seven years, and now you suddenly decide to show up? Where the hell have you been!"

"Here and there," he said, with a shrug. I could feel teas coming, and I tried hard to hide them, but he could tell. He could always tell when I was upset. "Hey, Kit-Kat, I'm sorry, don't cry. I guess I've been a pretty shitty older brother."

"You _guess _you've been a _pretty_ shitty older borhter?" I asked.

"Okay, I _know _I've been a _very_ shitty older brother," he grinned at me, and I laughed.

My smile fell remembering the night he left. "I was so worried about you. Mom and Dad refused to tell me what happened to you, or where you went."

"They kinda made me get out," Kyle said. "But, hey, Kit-Kat, I'm here now, so you don't gotta worry no more."

"Yeah, I guess so," I said. Just then, a car pulled into the garage, and I headed over to great the customer.

"How can I help you?" I asked the guy, who was clearly a Soc, when he parked in the garage. I vaguely recognized him as one of the kids in my English and Math class.

"I need an oil change, please," the guys said.

"Sure, no problem," I said. "You can wait outside."

"Okay, no problem," he said, but he turned back to me before he left. "Hey, I'm sorry about what happened. I think it was pretty brave of you to save them two boys."

"What'd you know about what happened that night?" I asked him.

I guess I sounded angry, so he said, "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean anything by it. My name's Drew, we're in-"

"I know, English and Math, I recognize you," I said. "My name's Katherine."

"I know," he said with a goofy grin. He was pretty cute, actually. He had sandy hair, cut short and clean, and chocolate brown eyes. He had a nice build, too. Not scrawny, but not muscular. "Hey, um, how would you like to have dinner with me tonight? At the Dingo."

"How… what?" I asked.

"Dinner, at the Dingo with me," he said. "Tonight, when you got of work."

"I-I don't know, Drew," I said. "I mean, you're a Soc, I'm a Greaser, it-"

"There a problem here?" Dally asked.

Why did he have to everywhere I was. "No, there ain't a problem here, Dally, 'cept for you."

"Ah, c'mon, Princess, don't be like that," he gave me a sly grin

"Unless you have a car for me to fix, I'm going to have to ask you to get out of my garage," I said.

"Who's gonna make me?" Dally asked. His grin faded away, and he looked at me with a cold, hard stare.

I was about to speak when Steve called him over. "Hey, Dally, c'mere a second!"

He gave me one last look before storming out of the garage.

"Sorry 'bout that," I said, turning back to Drew.

"Hey, no problem," he said. "So, um, what do you say?"

"I-I," I paused, and I thought about the pros and cons. What would the gang think of me dating a Soc? I mean, was I _really_ part of their group?

"She'd love to." I looked up and saw Soda coming into the garage.

"Would she?" He asked Soda, but his eyes never left mine.

I looked up at Soda, and he smiled, and I looked back to Drew. "Yeah, sure, why not."

"Great, I'll come pick you up, then," he said. "Is eight okay?"

"Yeah," I said. "But, um, I really do need you to wait outside while I work on this car."

He gave me a sheepish grin. "Right, sorry."

I slid under the car, only speaking when I needed something from Soda.

Finally, I asked, "Why'd you do that, Soda?"

"Do what?" He asked.

"Say I'll go on that date with him," I said.

"Did you not want to go?"

"Well, yeah, but I guess I was worried, that, um," I hesitated.

"You were worried what we would think, right?" Soda asked. I nodded when I slid out from under the car, and I grabbed the fresh oil he was holding.

"I can't speak for everyone, but most of us understand that you're from a different social class," Soda said. "You're with us now, but you weren't always like that. So you're gonna be a little different than us."

I smiled. "Thanks, Soda." Then my smile faded. "My other problem is that I got nothing to wear on a date."

"What about that skirt and cute shirt you wore yesterday?"

"Well, I suppose if it's clean, yeah, that'll work," I said.

Six couldn't come quick enough, but it finally did, and this time, I had Kyle to walk me home.

"Hey, Katherine!" I looked back to see Mike waving at me. "You're forgetting something!"

It took me a second, but I finally remembered I got paid today. "Oh, right. Oops!" I laughed at myself and hurried to get my money.

"Would you quit staring at me?" I asked. We had walked about a mile from the DX and just about the whole time, he was staring at me.

"I just can't believe someone would do that to your hair and face," he said. "I'd really like to kick their ass."

"Yeah, well, don't," I said. "I think I did a pretty good job of that myself. Besides, if it weren't for you, it'd be a lot worse."

"What do you mean, if it weren't for me?" He asked.

"You taught me how to fight," I said. "Or at least defend myself. So, um, thanks for that." I smiled up at him.

"Anytime, kiddo," he said, ruffling me hair. "You know, short hair looks nice on you."

"It looked worse before I fixed it up," I said. "The guy grabbed my hair and slashed at it with a knife. It hurt like hell, and looked awful and uneven."

"You really are a Soc at heart," Kyle commented.

"I suppose, but I fit in just fine here with the Greasers," I said. "Usually."

"That's because you got a tough attitude from me," Kyle said. "I never fit in with that bunch. I'm not sure why, I guess I just didn't like things being handed to me. I didn't want a rep because of mommy and daddy, I wanted a rep because of me."

"I like this kid." I looked behind me to see Dally there.

"Get lost, Dallas," I said, picking up my pace.

"Wow, you really must have pissed her off," Kyle said looking at Dally. "She don't like taking shit from guys."

"You gonna beat me up if I get on her bad side or something?" Dally asked.

"Well, from the looks of it, you're already on her bad side," Kyle said. "But, no, I won't. She can take care of herself."

"She's also right here, and she also has ears," I said. "I might be a couple steps ahead of you guys, but I _can_ still hear you."

Kyle just laughed.

We reached my house, and I turned to look at the boys. "Well, Kyle, since neither Mom or Dad are home, you're free to come in. Dallas, you are free to stay the hell off of my property."

"I didn't wanna come in anyways," Dally said. "Kyle, if you want, you can come meet the gang."

He looked at me and I shrugged. "Do what you want, you always do."

"Very true, little sis," he said. "I'm going with Dally, then."

I shrugged and went into my house to get ready for my date.

**A/N: Okay, so I guess I introduced **_**two**_** new characters, but, either way, hope you enjoyed! As always, let me know what you think. Sorry it's a bit on the long side, too. I was at, like, 3,600 words! I'm proud of myself for that, I guess. But my chapters typically wont' be that long.**

**Also, the only reason I'm thanking certain reviewers in my story is because they're guests and that's the only way I can really respond to them. I like to try and respond to everyone. If I missed you, I'm sorry, it wasn't on purpose.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: To reply to the guest who reviewed for Chapter four, I guess he would be kinda OC in that part, I just figured that since Johnny is the only one he really cares about (and, like, shows that he cares about him), he'd be pretty grateful about that. But, as you can tell if you're still reading, I put him back into character (I think) pretty quickly.**

**Anyways, I should be studying for my history final, but cramming so doesn't work for me, and I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be. I'm hoping for the best, but I don't think I'll do that well. Anyways, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Outsiders.**

**Chapter Six**

I found the flowery skirt and white shirt laying on my floor. I picked them up, smoothed them out and changed into them, after a shower, of course. I looked in the mirror, trying to figure out what to do with my hair, but eventually gave up on it. I headed into the kitchen and looked at our clock. It was only 7:15.

Maybe I'll see what Kyle's up to, I thought to myself.

I made my way to the Curtis' house, and went in without knocking, since that seemed to be the norm. It sounded like Kyle, Dally, and whoever else was in the house (Darry, I assumed) were all in the kitchen. I made my way over there and stopped when I realized they were talking about me.

"She was such an adorable little kid," Kyle was saying. "She'd dress up everyday, and I don't mean dress up nice. I mean she'd always be playing dress up. One day she was a princess, the next a fairy." My face flushed. Why would he tell everyone that? "But because of our parents, she grew up to be rather reserved. She never spoke unless spoken to, she'd never do anything without permission, and she rarely left the house except for school and the occasional outing with her friends, that our parents approved of. It seems like she's changed a lot since coming here. She also hardly shared any secrets with anyone, even with her best friend, except for me. One particular secret she told both me and her best friend, and that was that every day after school, before Mom and Dad got home, she would-"

I knew what he was about to say, so I bounded into the kitchen, while shouting, "Kyle! Why would you say that?"

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," he said, looking at me in confusion.

"Yes it is!" I cried. "I mean, I guess not, but - no, what am I saying. Of course it is! It's not your secret to tell!"

"What is it?" Dally asked.

"None of your business, Dallas," I said, and I turned on my heel, with my flushed with embarrassment and anger, and left the house. Just in time, too. Just as I crossed the street, a car pulled up.

"Katherine!" I looked over my shoulder and saw Drew waving at me from his car. I smiled, and as I made my way to his car, he got out and opened the door for me.

The ride was silent until I finally found the courage to ask, "Why'd you wanna go out with me Drew? Why so sudden?"

"Well you're cute, and smart, and funny," he said, kinda reminding me of what Soda said to me when we were working on that car. "And I guess I've always thought that, ever since you moved here, I just never had the courage to ask you out."

"Even though you're a Soc, and I'm a Greaser now?" I asked.

"Well, first few days of school, I didn't know you were a Greaser," he said. "I just saw a real pretty girl, who looked real lost."

"Did I?" I asked, giggling a little, relieved that he didn't pick up on the 'now' part of my sentence; I didn't know why, but I didn't really want him to know who I was before I got here. Not yet, at least.

"But, I'll tell you, you sure don't look like a Greaser right now," he said. "Except maybe the hair." We just pulled up to the Dingo, and he got out and opened the door for me. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to hear about that night."

"The way Pony said it, rumors have been flying," I said as we walked inside. "I'm sure you know plenty."

"Well, I'd like to hear it first hand, if that's okay," he said as we sat in a booth by the window. I looked out it and sighed.

"Well," I said. Just then, the waitress came by, and we ordered cokes, burgers, and fries. "I heard yelling across the street, and when I went to check it out, Darry said he had hit Pony, but he didn't mean to. Since neither he nor Soda was gonna go after him, I went out myself. The boys kept worrying about me, so I figured I owed them or something. I got to the park too find Johnny being kept down by two Socs and Pony being drowned by two or three others. At that point, I wasn't really thinking, I just acted. My brother was beat up pretty bad when I was six, and I couldn't do anything, and I didn't want to see that happen to Pony. I jumped at the guy, and, well, long story short, you can see everything on my face." I laughed a little.

"That was awful brave of you," Drew said as our food was set down in front of us. "I don't think I'd be able to do that, but I suppose as a Greaser you've seen a lot more than me. Me, the South Side Soc. The South Side, where everything is perfect."

"What's being a Greaser or a Soc gotta do with anything?" I asked, feeling angry. "We're all just people, ain't we? Why do we gotta categorize everyone?"

He looked at me surprised. "I guess you've got a point." I sat there picking at my fries, and he sat there staring at me. "Tell me about your brother," he suddenly asked.

I looked up in surprise. "What about him?"

"What's he like?"

"Tough, I guess," I said. "He's twenty-five now, eight years older than me. He never liked our parents much, and always got into trouble. Never with the cops, but he'd mess with gangs, and Socs, just about anyone who he could mess with, and pay for later. Usually in blood. I was there the first time he got jumped at fourteen. I was six, he hid me behind a dumpster just in time. I saw the whole thing it-" I paused and shuddered, remembering all the blood. "It was awful. I had no idea what to do, either. I mean, jeez, I was only six. Once they left, I sat there crying, not sure what to do. If I should run and get help, and leave him, or if I should try and help him walk home. I ended up taking him to the nearest house, one of our friends, an I called my parents from there. They could barely understand me I was sobbing so hard."

"I'm sorry, that's awful," he said. He sounded sincere, but also like he didn't fully understand, which I wasn't surprised about.

"What about you?" I asked, desperate to get the topic off the traumatizing incident. "What are your parents like?"

"My dad works all the time," he said. "But my mom's usually home. She's always been there for me. I have a younger brother, too."

"How far would you go to protect your younger brother?" I asked.

He laughed. "I don't think I'd have to," he said. "He's captain of the freshman football team, and a lot tougher than me. He'd get in a fight any day, I try to stay out of them as much as possible."

"Why?"

"Well, I take after my mom a lot," he said. "I'm weaker than most guys, so I never really bothered to work out or anything. If I were stronger, fights wouldn't be a problem, but when you already know you're gonna lose, they're not worth it."

"I'd fight if I had to," I said. "I guess that's obvious though, after the situation in the park." I absently touched the cut that was turning into a scar on my face. "But I'd jump into the middle of a fight if it meant helping my brother. I'd probably lose, yes, but hopefully I'd give him enough time to pull himself together and finish the fight himself. He don't usually need help, though. He's tough, he can take care of himself."

Drew laughed. "I never thought I'd go on a date with a girl who was tougher than me."

"Guess that makes me not so cool, huh" I said, with a grin.

"Guess we'll see," Drew said with a grin.

We finished our food, and talked for a bit before he took me home. Even though it was ten, my parents still weren't home, so, as usually, I changed and went to bed in a empty house.

**A/N: Sorry it's so short, I wanted to post this as soon as I could. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the short chapter. Please review!**

**Also, y'all should read S.E. Hinton's other books: **_**That Was then, This is Now**_**, **_**Rumble Fish**_**, and **_**Tex.**_** I also believe they're all movies, so you should read the books (if you haven't) and then watch the movies. I'm currently reading **_**Tex**_**, but I'm not too far into it.**

**Okay, well, I think that's it, so I'll see y'all next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I suppose it hasn't been super long since I last updated. I thought it had been longer, but when I double checked the dates, it hasn't been that long.**

**Not on topic for the story, but I got a card from my boyfriend today, and it had a $25 Starbucks gift card! I miss him sooo much! But it made me really happy to get that from him!**

**Anywho, sorry if you guys felt like you waited for a while. Finals were last week (failed my math class ): but I got a 4.0 in English!) and then I had writers block. At any rate, I hope y'all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I only own Kyle, Drew, and Kat. I do NOT own The Outsiders. That honor belongs to S. E. Hinton.**

**Chapter Seven:**

I sat at the kitchen table, looking over my math homework when mom walked in.

"Katherine?" She called as I heard the door slam behind her.

"In here!" I called, not looking up from my homework.

"Still working on homework, sweetheart?" She asked, setting the grocery bags on the counter.

"I still have a lot of work to catch up on, mom," I said, still not looking up.

She walked over and closed my math book.

"Mom!" I looked up finally.

"I want you to go out," she said. "Go see that boy, Drew, or go over and see the boys who are always across the street. You've been working on math for hours now. You need a break."

"But mom-" I started.

"No buts," she said. "Go." She pointed out the kitchen.

I sighed. "Fine, but if I fail school, it's your fault." I was almost out the door when I turned around. "Mom?"

"Yeah, sweetheart?" She asked.

"Are you ever gonna go back to work full time?" I asked.

"Are you getting sick of me being home?" She asked with a grin on her face.

I giggled. "No, I like it, actually. It reminds me of New York. But, I was just wondering because of, well, college."

"Right, college." The smile on Mom's face faded.

"I mean, we'll find a way, I'm sure," I said. "You know, never mind, forget I said anything. I'm going over to see the gang."

"Well, okay, then," I heard Mom say as the door swung shut behind me.

I walked across the street and leaned against the fence. "Hey Pony, Johnny." I said with a smile. They were sitting in the front, talking, and looked up and smile.

"Hey, Kat," Pony smiled.

"Where you been?" Johnny asked, teasingly. "You locked yourself up in that house for hours. We were about to bust the door down."

"Oh, very funny, Johnny," I said with a grin. "I've been trying to catch up on homework. Mom made me come out and stop studying." As I was talking the Curtis' door swung open and Darry came out.

Looking up at him, Pony said, "Well, fancy that. Someone who doesn't make their kid study all the time."

Darry just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, that ain't me, kiddo. Get inside and finish your homework."

"Fine, I'm coming," Pony said, standing up. "I'll see y'all around."

"Hey, Johnny, wanna walk around a bit?" I asked.

"Sure, why not?" He got up and we started walking down the street. "Wanna look for Dally?"

No, not really. "Sure," I said with a shrug. I knew he wanted to see him, so I figured I'd suck it up. For Johnny.

We walked in silence for a while until Johnny finally asked, "That guy you went out with the other night… he's a Soc, ain't he."

It was a statement, but I nodded anyways. "What of it?" I must have sounded defensive or mad or something, because Johnny looked down, like he was ashamed or something.

"I-it's just, well, you ain't a Soc no more, so why would you go out with him?" Johnny asked. I was silent for a while, so he added, "Socs were the ones who did this to me," he said indicating his scar, and then nodded at my face, and added, "And they were the ones to do that to you."

"Yeah, but wasn't him who did it," I said. "Not all Socs are like that, Johnny."

"I didn't say that," he mumbled. Then he looked up at me. "I guess you would know. Sorry. I was jut tryin' to look out for you."

"Thanks, Johnny," I said with a smile, and I ruffled his hair a bit. "I appreciate it. If he turns out to be a bad Soc, I'll dump him, promise."

"Hope you two ain't talking 'bout me."

I rolled my eyes at his voice. "Why in the world would we be talking about you, Dallas?"

He ignored me, though. "Hey, Johnny, got a weed?"

"Yeah, sure," he said, handing him one.

Lighting the cigarette, Dally started walking by me. "Want a drag, Princess?"

"Oh, how nice of you to offer," I said sarcastically.

"So you want one?" He asked again.

"No thanks," I said flatly.

We walked for a bit, and I listened to Dally and Johnny talk. Well, it was mostly Dally talking to Johnny. Regardless, if Dally was leaving me alone, I was okay with it.

Suddenly, Dally stopped. "Did you guys hear that?"

"Hear what?" I asked. We were silent for a moment and then heard a low groan.

"That," Dally said.

We made our way towards the sound, and eventually saw someone slumped against the wall. I gasped when I realized who it was, and pushed past Dally and Johnny to reach him. "Kyle!" I knelt down next to him, and turned this head towards me, only to see his face cut up and bruised. "What happened? Actually, never mind, let's just get you to the Curtis' house. I'll clean you up." I stood up and pulled him with me. Supporting him, I helped him back down the street. I didn't think we had walked that far, but carrying my brother's weight was taking it's toll. When I finally thought I would collapse, I felt some of the weight get lifted off my shoulders. I looked over and saw Johnny there. "Thanks, Johnny." I smiled at him, and he smiled back.

Suddenly, Dally was pushing me away, and carrying my brother for me.

"Dally, what-" I started, but he cut me off.

"I ain't being upstaged by a girl," he said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean, I'm not gonna sit back and let a girl act like she's stronger than me," he said.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were acting like a gentleman," I said.

"Ain't nothing gentle 'bout this man," Johnny said with a small laugh.

I smiled at his joke, and let the guys carry my brother back to the Curtis's house. I would have argued, but I was confused at Dally's niceness. He'd been starting to act strange. But I shrugged it off.

We got Kyle into the Curtis' house, and I was so preoccupied with him, that I didn't see my mom's head in the window of my house.

"What the hell happened?" Darry asked as we got my brother in the kitchen. The whole gang was there.

"That's what I'd like to know," I said as I grabbed a rag and got it wet. I turned to Kyle and started to clean his face. "Who'd you piss off this time?" I asked him. I went back to the sink and wrung the blood out of the rag.

"Why do you always assume it's my fault?" He asked.

I spun around, put my hand on my hip, and gave him an _are you kidding me_ look. "Kyle, you _always_ get into trouble with gangs. It's _always_ your fault."

He looked at me for a second, looked away, and said with a shrug, "Said his name was Tim Shepard."

I groaned. "You're gonna get yourself into some serious trouble, and the serious trouble is gonna kill you."

"What? He can't be that bad," Kyle said. "Nothing's as bad as the gangs in New York."

"Kyle! You can't live by the philosophy! There's no guarantee you _won't_ find something worse than New York. You gotta be careful!" I knelt in front of him and continued to clean his face.

I was very much aware of the gang standing behind me, watching me, but I didn't care. I cared about making sure my brother was cleaned up, and that he got his ear chewed off by the closest person to a motherly figure he'd listen to.

He sighed. "You're too much like mom."

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?" I asked. I was wringing the rag out at the sink again.

"I mean, I didn't leave that God forsaken house just to get nagged at by my baby sister," he said annoyed.

I threw the rag down in the sink and spun around. "Well, your _baby sister_ happens to _care_ about you!"

"You're not my mother, Katherine!" He shouted. He only used my full name when he was really angry. "Why the hell do you think I left that house?"

I stared at him, fighting tears. "I just don't wanna see you killed, Kyle."

He sighed. "Maybe if I was around more, you wouldn't be crying like this. You never cried before I left."

I sniffed.

"You mean before you were kicked out?" I turned at the new voice, only to see my mother standing I the entry of the kitchen.

"Mom? What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Getting you," she said, turning her glare on me. "Come with me Katherine, you have no reason to be here."

I cringed a little at her harsh tone. She had never looked at me like that before, and she certainly had never used that tone with me.

"Mom, Kyle needs-" I started.

"Nothing!" She shouted. "He needs nothing!"

"But-"

"No buts, young lady," she said. "Come with me, now. I want you to forget about him. He's not your brother anymore because he's not part of this family anymore! You are not to see him. Ever again. Do I make myself clear?"

I stared at her, wide eyed, until I looked down at the ground, and finally managed to whisper. "No."

"What was that?" She asked, sounding appalled.

I looked up at her, and she looked appalled. I cleared my throat and said, "No, you don't make yourself clear, and I don't get why you're acting this way! He's my brother! Maybe you and Dad don't like him anymore, but I'll always love him! So I'm going to stay here and take care of him."

My mom opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it. She looked around suddenly, as if realizing for the first time that there were other people in the house. "Well," she finally said. "I suppose I'll see you at home." She turned on her heel, and marched with her head held high out of the house.

It was silent for awhile as I finished cleaning up Kyle, but then he finally said, "Wow."

"Wow what?" I asked.

"I never thought I'd see the day where you stood up to Mom like that. That's all," he said with a shrug.

I wasn't really sure what to say, so I just shrugged and leaned against the counter. Finally, I said, "She's never looked at me like that. Or talked to me like that." I closed my eyes so I wouldn't start crying, and took a deep breath. "I should probably go home." I opened my eyes again, and looked over at Darry. "Hey, I know this is a lot to ask, but if he could stay here tonight, and maybe for a couple more nights, I'd really appreciate that. I don't want to see him getting into anymore trouble."

"That's no problem, Kat," Darry said. Then, looking at Kyle, he added, "But you'll have to sleep on the couch."

"Fine by me," Kyle said grinning.

I smiled at him. "I'll see you around, bro."

I headed home, knowing I was about to get my ear chewed off by Mom, but not really caring. I had a feeling things would be different around my house, even if no one actually acknowledged the differences.

**A/N: Sorry again for the wait, hope you guys enjoyed!**

**You know, the thing I've realized with writing on fanfiction, is that it really doesn't how many reviews you get, as long as there's at least one. I think. I mean, if you're not getting reviews, then the story probably isn't that good (or you just haven't found the right audience) but if you have one, at least one person is happy right? I'm lucky enough to have more than one, though. So thank you to all of my reviewers! It means a lot to know that people like my writing, even if I don't always like it myself lol**

**Thanks again, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you think!**

**One more quick thing. Pretty soon, Dally's gonna start getting OOC. I'm gonna try to keep him as close to character as possible, but the story is called Change in Me, so it does hint that **_**someone**_** will change. So, he will be a bit off, but I'll keep him a close to the original as possible. But I've been trying to ease him into the change. I won't just suddenly change him and be like "It's a fictional story, that's why he changed." I don't like authors like that, who use fiction as a reason to why things are the way they are in the story. Even if it is fiction, it needs some sort of basic reason. Anyways, bottom line is, Dally is gonna change, but my question for you guys is, is he changing too quickly? I guess I haven't given him much time to change, but if he is now, let me know, or if he starts changing too quickly, let me know, and I can fix it. Because I've red Outsider fics where the story has potential, but Dally (or any of the characters) change way too quickly, and it just ruins the story for me. So I don't want to make that mistake here.**

**Okay, I'm done now. Review please!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I am so, so, so sorry for the late update! I've been trying to work on this, but my speech class was rather taxing, and then writers block and all that. But I'm on vacation now, so I'm gonna try and crank this out as much as I can.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything except for Kat, Drew, and Kyle.**

**Chapter Eight**

I walked into my house and Mom didn't even look up. I sat in the kitchen, working on my homework, desperately trying to pretend nothing happened. It seemed Mom wanted to pretend I had never existed in the first place.

Finally, it became too much. I slammed my book shut, and saw Mom jump a little.

Good, I thought to myself.

"I'm going out," I said, standing at the entrance of the kitchen. She didn't react. "I don't know when I'll be home. Late, probably." Still, nothing. "Maybe I'll go get drunk at some party." It was a bluff, but she met it with silence. I sighed, and slammed the door behind me as I headed out. I almost went over to the Curtis', but I didn't really feel like being around people. I hurried down the sidewalk, headed towards the park, or maybe the lot, I wasn't sure yet.

My feet ended up taking me to the park, and I sat down by the fountain, remembering the night I helped Johnny and Ponyboy.

What would have happened if I hadn't been there to help them? I wondered. Ponyboy would probably be dead. Johnny, too. I guessed. But I guess I would never know, and it was probably better that way.

I sighed, and looked around, realizing the sun was setting. I stood up, ready to head home. Or maybe I'd go find Drew.

Yeah, I liked that idea. I'd rather be with Drew than at home.

I left the park and walked around, suddenly realizing I didn't know where he lived.

The sun had set, and it was dark. I always talked brave to the boys about how I could take care of myself, which I could, but now that I was alone, and in the dark, I was scared out of my mind. I took a deep breath and thought. Maybe I would go to the Curtis'.

No, that won't work, Kyle's there, and they already had a full house, I reminded myself. Maybe Steve would be able to help, or Two-Bit. I really wish I was still in New York. But if I was there, then none of this would be happening. Man, what-

My train of thought was interrupted by a car horn. My head snapped up and I was blinded by a car's headlights. I squinted and shielded my eyes with my hand as the car came to a stop and a couple people got out.

My heart started pounding faster than it already was when I saw who it was.

Bob and Randy - as the Gang had told me - and two more guys.

"Well, well, well, look who we found, boys," Bob slurred. He was drunk. Again. "The little Greasy girl who had the nerve to hit me. Who made me hit her back. You know, I really don't like hitting girls." He walked closer to me, and leaned in. His face was so close I could smell the alcohol on it. "On top of that, I _really_ don't like it when girls hit me and act like they're tougher than me. I think maybe we need to teach you a lesson, little girl."

"I don't want no trouble," I said, stepping back.

"Shoulda thought about that before you jumped in the middle of that fight," he slurred. He was really drunk, which would make this ten times worse. I took another step back.

"Don't do something you're gonna regret," I said, holding my hands up in a sign of peace. Bob grabbed my wrists with one hand and pulled me towards him, punching me in the gut with the other hand. I gasped as the air rushed out of me. He let my hands go and I feel to the ground, coughing, trying to catch my breath. He kicked my side, sending me rolling off the sidewalk and into his car. My head slammed hard against it. My vision went blurry for a moment, and I felt dizzy as I struggled to stand up, but I knew I couldn't just lay there. I blinked hard, trying to get my vision back. As my vision cleared, I saw Bob coming towards me, blade in hand. I stepped to the side and tired to hurry away from the car, but, of course, he was faster then me. He grabbed my wrist and turned me around, and completely on instinct, I swung my free hand around and slapped him in the face. I didn't think I slapped him that hard, but he let go of my wrist none the less, probably out of shock.

I took my chance and started to run, but as I turned I saw someone across the street. Looking closer, I realized it was Drew. I looked behind me and saw Bob was snapping out of his daze, so I darted across the street to Drew. I was still a little dizzy, though, so I kind of zig-zagged across the road.

"Drew!" I called as I approached him. "I'm so glad to see you. Where's your-"

"Not so fast, girl!" Bob called after me. I looked back to see him crossing the street.

"Drew, we've gotta get out of here. They're drunk, and still mad about the night they jumped Pony and Johnny. Come on, let's go!" But he wouldn't move. I looked at him questioningly. "Drew?" Just then, Bob grabbed my wrist and pulled him back towards me. As I was spun around, I saw the conflicted look on Drew's face.

"There's nothing to see here, Drew," Bob said. "Come on, man, just get out of here."

Drew hesitated.

"Drew, you can't-"

"Shut up!" Bob yelled, slapping me. He looked up at Drew again. "Get outta here, man, it's better that way. She ain't your type anyways."

Drew opened his mouth, and closed it again. Opening it again, he said, "Sorry, Katherine," and he turned and left.

My eyes widened, and I had to fight the urge to cry. That wasn't too hard, though, because Bob quickly had my attention again, slamming me up against a wall. My vision went blurry again from my head hitting the wall, and as I blinked, stars danced in front of my eyes.

I thought it was over, but I was quickly reminded of the knife he had earlier when I felt a stabbing pain in my side as the knife was plunged into my body and dragged down through my skin a couple of inches.

I cried out in pain as Bob let go of me, letting me fall to the ground. "Let that be a lesson, girl. Don't get in my way again."

They left me there, laying on the ground, fighting tears and fighting to stay conscious. My head hurt, my hand clutched at my throbbing side, and I just wanted to sleep.

"Kat!" I wasn't sure how long I had been lying on the ground. It was still dark out, but I was pretty sure I had passed out, even if only for a moment.

I groaned, and opened my eyes at the sound of footsteps. In a matter of seconds, an all too familiar face was above me.

"What the hell happened to you?" Dally asked.

I groaned again, and managed to get out, "Bob… drunk… jumped me…"

"Bob did this to you? I swear, I'm gonna beat his sorry ass the next time I see him," Dally promised. "What'd he do to you?"

I sat up, even though the world spun around me, and my whole body protested. I should have listened to my body, though, because seconds later my vision was black.

When my eyes opened, I was in a bed and alone in a room with Dally. I sat up, a little too quickly, and the room spun around me and my head and side throbbed. I let out an involuntary groan.

"Lay down, stupid," Dally said.

"What time is it, and what am I doing here? With you, that is," I asked, then added after looking around, "And where is here?"

"It's only been a couple of hours sine I brought you here, and we're at Buck's, he usually lets me crash here," he explained, pushing me back down onto the bed. "And you're here with me 'cause I was the only one around to save your sorry ass."

"Gee, thanks," I said sarcastically. "Ever heard of being nice to the sick?"

"You ain't sick, Princess," he sneered. "And I'm never nice."

"Of all the people to find me…" I muttered.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" He asked, cupping his ear with his hand. "Did you just says 'thanks, Dallas Winston, you just saved my life'?"

"I had it all under control," I shot back at him.

"Really? So if someone came by to start something with you, were you going to deal with it unconsciously? Because you were totally out when I found you," Dally said.

I opened my mouth, and realized I had nothing witty to say. Not this time. My shoulders slumped and I sighed. "Thanks, then," I muttered.

"What was that? Still can't hear you, Princess," Dally said mockingly.

"I said thanks!" I shouted. "Not get out and let me sleep!"

Dally just sneered, but it quickly disappeared. "Yeah, sure thing." He closed the door quietly behind him as he left.

My very last thought before sleep took me was of Drew and how betrayed I felt by him. I didn't have time to cry before I passed out, but I knew I'd be doing plenty of that later.

**A/N: Sorry if this is on the short side, I felt this was a good stopping point. I'm hoping Dally is starting to get a little OOC, I'm trying to ease his character into something new, so it's not so sudden and what not. **

**Anyways, again, sorry for the late update, I was really busy, and I really wanted to do well in this speech class. I got a 3.1, which isn't bad, but it isn't great either. Review please! Hope you enjoyed!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Like I said, I'm gonna try and crank this out. I am on vacation, so I'll have more time to get on the computer (though I'm gonna try to not be on the computer 24/7). Enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I own Kat, Drew, and Kyle. Everything else belongs to S. E. Hinton.**

**Chapter Nine**

I sat on the edge of the bed, still at Buck's place. It was about nine or ten, the morning after I got jumped. My head was still sore, and my side hurt like hell, but at least the room didn't spin around when I stood up. Sometime while I was asleep someone had bandaged my side, and I needed to ask Dally about that.

I opened the door, planning on heading downstairs, and ran straight into Dally.

"You don't wanna go down there, Princess," he said, gently pushing me back into the bedroom. "Not alone, at least."

"Dally, who bandaged me up?" I asked.

"I did, who else," he said. I gaped at him. "Oh, relax, Princess, I didn't see nothing."

I just sighed, then said, "I need to go home, Dallas. I don't want to, but I need to."

"First, I gotta ask, who jumped you?" Dally asked. "You mumble something about Bob, but you were half conscious, so now that you're up and conscious, start talking.

"It was Bob and Randy, and a couple others," I said. "They were mad at me 'cause I interfered when they jumped Pony and Johnny. They threw me against a car, and then a wall, and then, as you saw, they cut my side. Can I go home now?"

"Yeah, sure, I'll walk you," he said.

I was about to protest, but, remembering last night, I changed my mind. "Fine."

We left Buck's place, and headed towards my house. We walked in silence, and that was fine. In fact, it was great.

"You're a lot more fun to be around when you don't have smart ass comments coming out of your mouth, you know that, Dally," I said.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" He asked, looking down at me. I stared back at him, and the fluttery feeling in my stomach I had when I first saw him was there.

I stopped and was about to say something when a car honked it's horn. Fear shot through my body, and I spun around, and I could sense Dally tensing, only to find Drew's car pulling up beside us. I could only imagine how the fear on my face changed to an icy glare of hate and betrayal.

"Katherine, we need to talk," Drew said, getting out of his car. We stood there a moment, and he glanced at Dally. "Alone. Please?"

"Whatever you want to say, you can say it in front of Dally, I ain't going nowhere with you," I said coldly. I could feel Dally's curious gaze on me, probably wondering about my strange behavior.

"Look, I just want to apologize about last night," he said.

"Apologize for what?" I asked incredulously. "Abandoning me to get beat up? Look, Drew, you're an okay guy, but it's clear we run with different groups, and it's clear that your Soc friends are the priority, and not the Greaser girl you're interested in. That's fine by me, but I ain't sticking around with a guy who won't even help a girl - or anyone for that matter - who's about to get her ass handed to her."

"Katherine, I'm sorry, I have an image to uphold," Drew said.

"You know, I used to think the same thing," I said, turning away from him. As I walked away, I added, "You learn a lot when you don't got money no more. Goodbye, Drew."

I didn't have to look to know Dallas was following me.

"So that's what a break up looks like, huh?" I looked up to see Dally's usual smirk. "A civil one, at least."

"Shut it, Dallas, I ain't in the mood." I looked forward and picked up my pace a bit.

I heard him snicker as he hurried to keep pace with me, but he said nothing.

I didn't bother to say goodbye when we got to my house, and he didn't seem to care.

I opened the door quietly, worried that Dad's car was there. It was the middle of the day on Sunday, and he should be at work. I crept quietly passed the kitchen where Mom and Dad were huddled together talking quietly. They didn't seem to notice me. I snuck into my room to grab my vest for work, and tried to sneak out of the house again to get to work.

My hand was on the door when Dad's voice boomed behind me. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"To work," I said flatly, not turning around.

"And where the hell have you been?" He asked.

"Out, I told Mom before I left," I said.

"Look at me when you're talking to me," he said.

"What do you want?" I asked, finally turning around. I noticed the clock behind him said 9:30. "I need to get to work."

"I want you to listen to your me and your mother," he said. "You will not see Kyle. Ever again. He's a disgrace to this family.

That snapped me. "_He's_ a disgrace to this family? He's just living life how he wants! If anyone's a disgrace, it's your! _You're_ the one who lost his job! _You're_ the reason we're living here! _You're _the reason-" but my yelling was cut off from him slapping me across the face. Hard.

"Do not _ever_ talk to me like that again," he said in a cold whisper that was scarier than him yelling. "Go to work. If you don't have an attitude change by the end of your shift, don't bother coming back."

"Fine, don't expect me back tonight," I spat. I turned and headed out the door, slamming it behind me.

The door opened behind me, and my father yelled after me, loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear if they were listening, "You're just as bad as your good for nothing brother, you worthless piece of shit!"

Of course, the whole gang, except for Steve and Soda who were at work, had to be across the street right now. I ignored them, held my head high, and marched off to work.

I got to work to find Mike outside talking with Steve and Soda.

"Kat, there ya are," Mike called. "You're late what happened?"

"Sorry, Mike, I, uh, ran into some trouble last night," I explained, trying to be vague. "I crashed with a friend, and woke up late."

"What's up with your face?" Soda asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked, but I was pretty sure there was a red mark where Dad had hit me.

"I mean it's all red," Soda said, lightly touching my cheek where my dad hit me. "It looks like someone hit you, and whoever it was went for the bruised cheek."

That's right, that was where my bruise was - or, well, is. That's probably why it hurt so much. "Oh, that, um, I got in an argument with my dad. He hit me."

The three men just stared at me, eyes bulging, mouths gaping.

"It ain't that big of a deal," I shrugged, suddenly self conscious. Thankfully a car pulled up just then, and I immediately went to help them.

I pushed myself out from under the car, about halfway through the job, and I went to stand up, but a sharp pain flashed through my side, causing me to cry out a little in pain, and fall down to the ground.

"Kat!" Soda called as he came running around the car. "Are you alright, what happened?"

"N-nothing, I'm fine, I-" I started.

"Don't lie to him," I heard Dally's voice say from behind us.

"What's going on here?" Steve asked.

"Kat got jumped last night," Dally said matter-of-factly.

"You what?" Soda asked.

I glared at Dally quickly, but then shifted my attention to Soda, to try and reassure him. "It wasn't the big of a deal. I got knocked around a bit, but I'm fine."

"Not true again," Dally smirked at me. "I found her unconscious, and her side was bleeding like hell."

"Are you done?" I asked. "Because I really don't need this."

"If you're hurt, you shouldn't be at work," Soda said. "Let me see your side." He reached for my shirt, but I pushed him away.

"I'm find, Soda, I promise," I said. "Look, I'd rather be here than at home. Well, I guess I don't really know where home is anymore. Dad kicked me out this morning."

Steve and Soda gaped at me.

"Can you guys stop staring at me? Aren't you supposed to be used to this sort of thing?" I asked, not thinking. Steve and Soda's faces darkened, Dally just shrugged. "Look, sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I wasn't thinking."

"It's fine," Steve said flatly.

"You're right, we should be used to this," Soda said. "But it don't make it right. Especially with your family. We thought you got along with your parents."

I shrugged. "So did I. Till Kyle showed up. Look, let's just get back to work, 'kay?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Steve said. Soda stayed silent. I didn't like this Soda. I preferred the happy-go-lucky one I first met.

We worked in silence the rest of the day, and Dally only left the DX once, around five. He reappeared at six, with a take out bag of food.

"Got you dinner," he said, handing the bag to me.

"Oh, thanks," I said.

"I'll walk you to the Curtis'," he said.

"Um, actually," I said, pausing to take a bite of the burger he got me. "I just got paid, and I gotta go to the store. I need clothes. I'm so _not_ gonna visit my parents to get my stuff. You don't gotta walk me. I can find someone else."

"I'm here, ain't I?" He said. "Let's just hurry up and go." He sounded annoyed, so I did as he said and hurried up.

I didn't get much, a couple jeans, and a couple white shirts. This would have to last me a while.

We got back to the Curtis' house, and found Steve and Soda sitting in the living room, drinking beer.

It seemed the whole gang was here, Pony and Johnny were talking in the kitchen, Two-Bit was just leaving the kitchen with beer and cake, and Darry was making something.

"Where's Kyle?" I asked.

"Said he had to go somewhere," Darry replied.

"Oh," I said, shoulders slumping. "Did he say if he'd be back?"

"Yeah, he said he'd be back later tonight."

"Oh, good," I said, my mood lightening a bit.

"So, Kat, thought about where you're gonna stay?" Soda asked.

Of course he had to ask that.

"I dunno," I shrugged.

"You can always crash here," Darry said. "For a bit. I can share my bed with your brother, and you can get the couch."

"You'd do that for me?" I asked.

"Course I would," Darry said. "Why wouldn't I? I'll need you to pitch in a bit of money for food and stuff, but it's not problem."

"Oh, definitely! None of my Soc friends in New York would do this," I said. I gave a humorless laugh. I spoke again, but quieter, more to myself. "It's every man for himself in that world. I hated it. Kayla was my only real friend there."

Just then, the phone rang. Darry went to answer it, and Soda turned to me. "Who's Kayla?"

"She was my best friend back in New York," I said. "Actually, we were originally only friends because our parents were neighbors. We've known each other since before I can remember. We were about… hmm… eight, I'd guess, when we really became friends. Our parents wanted us to get all dressed up in these frilly dresses. I can't remember why, it was probably for some gathering or something stupid. Neither of us wanted to do it, so we decided to rip the hems of the dresses, and spill stuff on them. We blamed it on the dog when our parents got back. We've been best friends ever since. She didn't know that I liked to work on cars, though. As we got older, we began to accept what or parents wanted, and even though we'd act like our real selves when it was just us, we were still girls, and Soc girls don't work on cars."

"Except for you," Soda said with a grin. But the grin quickly vanished. "Hey, can you let us look at your side now?"

"What happened to her side?" Johnny asked.

I was about to speak when Darry called me. "Hey, Kat, phone for you."

"For me? Okay," I said, hurrying out of the room and away from prying eyes and questioners.

"Hello?" I asked into the phone.

"Kit-Kat! How are you?" Kyle asked.

"Kyle! I'm fine," I said. "Where are you?"

"I, um, went on a little road trip," he said evasively. I heard a giggle in the background.

"To where?" I asked.

"Somewhere," he said. "I'll be back in a couple days, but I promise I will be back. I'm actually gonna have a little surprise for you." Another giggle rang out in the background, but Kyle quickly shushed it.

Strange, how it sounded similar to Kayla's giggle. But I shrugged it off.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"No one, don't worry about it," he said. "Darry told me about what Mom and Dad did. Don't let Dad get to you, 'kay, Kit-Kat?"

"I won't, I'm so over it," I said flatly, but he knew I was hiding my true feelings, he always knew. But, thankfully, he didn't press. "Um, but there's something I need to tell you." I didn't want to, but he'd be twice as mad if he found out from someone else.

"I, uh, got jumped last night," I said. "Nothing too bad. I just got tossed around a bit, and, uh…" I trailed off, and added in a whisper, "And cut in the side."

"They did what?" Kyle's voice boomed, and by the way the other room got quiet, I knew they heard him yelling.

"Shut up, would ya?" I asked him. "Look, I'm fine, you don't need to worry. I'll see you when you get back." With that said, I hung up the phone.

"So what's this about your side?" Darry asked.

"Can't any of you give me a break?" I asked, annoyed beyond belief. "If it's that much of a deal, then I'll let you look at it! Jeez." I lifted up my shirt to show off the bandage that Dally put on me earlier today, only to see that it was almost completely red.

"Damn," Darry said. "What the hell did they do?"

"Slashed my side," I said. "Punched me in the gut before that and kicked me into their car. Then they slammed me against a wall. I'm pretty sure I have a concussion after all that. But, honestly, my side got the worst of the damage."

"Pony, go get a fresh bandage for her," he said.

A very pale Ponyboy hurried from the room, with and equally Johnny close behind.

"Who did this?" Darry asked while we waited.

"It was Bob. Randy and a couple others were with him, but Bob threw all the punches," I told him. I didn't really want to talk about it, but I knew Dally would if I didn't. "Look, guys, don't go looking for trouble, okay?"

"Why not? They're asking for it," Steve said.

"They definitely are asking for it," Soda agreed.

"I'll take a Soc any day, don't matter the reason," Dally pitched in.

"No! This is nothing to start a fight over!" I cried.

"Let's not argue this," Darry said. Just then, Pony and Johnny came back with bandages and other supplies to help clean a wound. "Thanks, Pony." Darry took the supplies, then looked at me. "I'm gonna clean the cut, and it's gonna hurt like hell." I nodded and tried to mentally prepare myself for the pain, but nothing could prepare me for what came. It took all my control not to scream, but a cry of pain did escape me.

Thankfully, Darry was quick with his work, and the wound was soon wrapped up tightly.

"It's getting late, y'all should head home, Pony's got school tomorrow," he looked down at me. "I know I ain't your dad, but you don't gotta go to school tomorrow if you don't want to."

"I'm going, no question about it," I said. "It'll take my mind off things." Darry just nodded.

It took a while, but soon everyone was gone, and I was laying on my good side, passed out on the couch.

**A/N: Holy wow, this was long. I hope you enjoyed it, though! Let me know what you thought!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Well, here you guys go. Hope you like it! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own Kat, Drew, and Kyle, everything else belongs to S. E. Hinton**

**Chapter Ten**

Two-Bit, Ponyboy, Johnny and I all walked to school together.

"Hey, Two-Bit, why aren't you usually at school?" I asked.

"Oh, I am," Two-Bit said. "But I usually walk with some other people, and have lunch with other people. I figured I'd stick with you guys today, though."

"Oh, thanks then, I guess," I grinned at him.

He smiled back, but it quickly disappeared. "How's your side?"

"It kinda hurts, but it's getting better. I guess," I said, absently rubbing it. There was a constant throbbing. I wasn't sure if it was from the actual cut, or if Darry just wrapped it too tight.

"Well, I suppose I'll see you guys around lunch," Two-Bit called as he ran to catch up to some friend.

"I'll see you two later, too," I said, heading off to my classes.

When lunch time came, I sat with Ponyboy, Johnny, and Two-Bit for a little, but I wasn't hungry, so I got up to wonder around.

As I walked, I noticed the music room was empty. Glancing around, I snuck in, closing the door behind me.

I picked up a guitar that was sitting around, and messed around with it until I got a feel for the instrument, and I started to play the song "Love Me Do" bye the Beatles.

_Love, love me do_

_You know, I love you_

_I'll always be true,_

_So please, love me do_

_Ooh, love me do._

There was a sound behind me, about halfway through the song that made me jump.

I stopped and turned, startled.

"Please, don't stop on my account," the woman said. She had short blonde hair, and blue eyes. I recognized her as the music teacher, but I didn't know her name. "Please, keep going."

I didn't want to say no, but I also didn't like to sing in front of people. Finally, I started playing again.

_Someone to love,_

_Somebody new,_

_Someone to love_

_Someone like you_

I finished up the song, and the whole time the teacher seemed entranced.

"You know, I don't recognize you," she said. "You aren't in music, are you?"

"Um, no, ma'am, I'm not," replied.

"Why not?"

"I, uh, I guess because I don't like performing," I replied. "I mean, I don't really have the confidence."

"You're really good," she commented. "What's your name.

"Katherine. Katherine Anderson."

"Well, Katherine, I really hope you'll consider joining music," she smiled. "Until the, try not to play our instruments again? They're for music students only." She smiled as she walked off, and I quickly left the room.

The hallway was empty, and as I passed the cafeteria, I heard the clamor of students talking and laughing. I had no desire to join them, so I walked to my next class, fully intending to wait outsider for class to start.

Halfway down the hall, someone grabbed my wrist. As he spun me around, I prepared myself to scream, and got ready to slap him, fully expecting Bob to be there.

But it was Drew. I stopped my hand just before it hit him, and let it drop.

I stared blankly at him.

"Katherine, I'm not letting you go that easily," he said.

"Really, because I am letting you go that easily," I said flatly.

"I messed up, Katherine, and I'm sorry," he said. "I'm not like you, I've been brought up to worry what people think of me. Image is everything to me; to Socs."

"You think I don't know that?" I asked him, pulling me arm away. "You think I haven't been in that same position?"

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Forget it Drew," I said. I was vaguely aware of the crowd of people coming from the cafeteria. I wasn't about to make a scene. "I've gotta go."

I turned without waiting for a response, and hurried off to class.

The day dragged on, and all I could think of playing that guitar.

It felt weird having an audience, but not bad weird, just different weird.

I was still thinking about it when the final bell rang, but I shook off the feeling, and I hurried to meet up with Ponyboy, Johnny, and Two-Bit after school, and we headed to the Curtis'.

"Where'd you go to at lunch?" Two-Bit asked.

I shrugged. "Didn't feel like being around people today, I guess."

"Aw, why not, people are fun?" Two-Bit fake whined in his usual joking manner.

I didn't have a chance to answer, though, because someone grabbed my wrist and spun me around. It was Drew, like last time, but unlike last time, I didn't stop my hand from smacking him in the face. Not because it was him, I still didn't know it was him until the last second, but now that I wasn't at school, I didn't feel the need to hold back.

We stared silently at each other, him rubbing his cheek. "I didn't hit you on purpose, because I didn't know it was you, but I still won't apologize"

"We need to talk, Katherine," he said. "I want to know what you meant earlier. You're a Greaser, image means nothing to you. At least, it doesn't mean the same to you as it does to me."

"Because maybe I haven't always been a Greaser," I said. "You said it yourself, you thought I was a Soc when I first moved here, or, at least you didn't think I was a Greaser. Wanna know why? Because I was a Soc before I moved. But it's not who I am now. That girl I was in New York was a total façade, just for my parents. But I'm done with that now."

Drew looked at me in confusion. "Why would you give up that life?"

"Because I didn't have much of a choice, and also because I'm finally able to be me."

"So that means we can't be together?" He asked.

"No, you abandoning me because you didn't want to look less in your friends' eyes is why we can't be together. I'm sorry, Drew, it's just the way it is." I turned on my heel, and marched past my friends, and made my way to the Curtis house.

We were almost there, when Johnny spoke up, "You didn't break up with him 'cause of us, did ya?"

I looked at him and laughed. "'Course not, Johnny, I broke up with him 'cause he's not the kind of guy I want to date. If he had just stood up for me, and helped me get away, I wouldn't have a gash on my side."

We got back to the Curtis house to find everyone there, even Steve and Soda. It must've been their day off.

"What is everyone doing home?" I asked.

"Well, we got the day off," Soda said, indicating himself and Steve.

"And Super Dope over there in the kitchen doesn't work 'till later," Steve said.

"I heard that, Randle!" Darry called.

I laughed. "Okay, then."

Just then, a car honked outside.

I jumped, and looked towards the window. I couldn't really see the car well from where I was, so I said, "I swear, if that's Drew again, I'm gonna do more than slap him."

I got up and made my way outside, with the gang close behind me. Before I knew what was happening, a curly, blonde haired, bundle of energy that could only belong to one person was throwing herself at me in a hug.

I stumbled back a few steps, right into someone, before I was able to return the hug. It was a few moments before she let go, and I was looking into her green eyes, her shoulder length hair in perfect curls as always.

"Kayla! What are you doing here?" I asked in surprise.

"Well, hello to you, too," she said in mock annoyance, but it quickly dissolved into giggles.

"I knew that was you giggling in the background when Kyle called!" I laughed, and hugged her again.

"Katherine, I've missed you so much," she said. This time when she pulled back, she was glaring at me. "Why didn't you ever call?"

"Oh, um, I was… busy?" I replied weekly. "I'm sorry, I must have forgotten."

"How can you forget _me_?" She asked incredulously. "Your _best friend_!"

"I'm sorry, Kayla! Jeez, I just forgot to call, I didn't forget _you_," I said. "Relax, would you?"

She sighed in her usual dramatic tone. "Fine, fine. Are you at least going to introduce me to your friends?"

"I'm sorry, honey, you were too busy whining for me to get introductions in," I said. She stuck her tongue out at me, and I spoke up before she could say anything else. I turned, coming nearly face to face (well, face to chest) with Dally. He was the one I bumped into, then. "Alright, Kayla, I know it'll be hard, with you being spacey sometimes, but pay attention and take notes. In front if us stands Dallas Winston, we all call him Dally. Behind him, you've got Johnny Cade, Ponyboy Curits, Sodapop Curtis, Darrel Curtis, Two-Bit Mathews, and Steve Randle. Got all that?"

She looked at me blankly, and shook her head. "Absolutely not. I'll catch on, though."

"How long you staying, anyways?" I asked.

"As long as it takes to get the rest of the story from you," she said. She added to my confused look, "Kyle over there told me you got jumped, but didn't say anything else, and all of your friends are guys. Start talking, missey."

**A/N: Sorry to leave it at that, it felt like the best place to stop. And my dad gave me ten minutes to finish up. So here you go! Hope you liked it! Let me know, please!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Alright, guys, so I'm going down to Missouri on Thursday to see my wonderful boyfriend, who is in Tec school for the Air Force. Anyways, I don't know if I'll be able to update, but I will try and write while I'm down there. I'll be gone from Thursday to Sunday.**

**Chapter Eleven:**

"Okay, so that scar on your face is from helping Ponyboy and Johnny," Kayla said, trying her best to recap the story I told her. She and I sat on the couch, and the boys were scattered around the room. "And the short hair is from that, as is the bruise. The cut on your side is because the guy you fought was upset and he slashed you, and the red mark is from your dad slapping you. Why did he slap you again?"

I shrugged. "I talked back to him. Well, actually, I blamed him for our situation."

"It _is_ his fault, though," Kayla said. "Well, according to my dad, at least."

She was getting excited, and even though I wasn't entirely in the mood for a whole session of "What Kayla Knows", I was curios as to what she knew. "Oh, yeah?" I asked, and that was all that was needed for her to dive head first into her story.

"Well, according to my dad, your dad had been gambling a lot," she said. "Every time he said he was staying late to work, he was going to the casinos."

"Every time?" I asked.

"Okay, well, maybe not _every_ time," Kayla said. Then, taking a deep breath, she lunged into the full story, and I knew I wouldn't get another word in for a while. "But my dad followed him a couple times, and every time he followed him, it was straight to the casino. Actually, a few times, my dad caught him going to the bar after. But, seriously, as the company's accountant, my dad started noticing some of the money disappearing from the company's funds. Your dad's problem was effecting the company. Like, he was totally using company money to gamble. That's when my dad quit, and a few weeks later, your dad's company went bankrupt. You guys are lucky you got out of there when you did. Rumors have been flying about your dad. And school would have been hell for you. Oh my, God. Speaking of school…"

That was when I decided to zone out. I felt bad, but even Kayla's best friend could only handle so much of Kayla Babble. I paid enough attention to know when to nod, or otherwise react to what she was saying, but my eyes ended up drifting around the room. As they drifted, they made their way over to Dally, who was also looking at me. Our eyes met, and he raised an eyebrow at me. I rolled my eyes, and looked away.

I focused on Kayla. "I mean, can you believe her? Sarah is such a… well, I can't say the word."

"A hoe?" I supplied for her.

"Katherine Jane Anderson!" Kayla said in semi-mock horror. She didn't like bad words, and she only put up with me saying them because I was her best friend. She'd grown accustomed to me swearing.

"It's just a word, jeez, Kayla," I said, rolling my eyes. "Hey, how about I show you around downtown? One of the guys could come with us, too."

"Sure, that sounds fun!" Kayla exclaimed, jumping up.

"I'll go, too," Soda said, getting up.

"Same," Dally said. I looked at him in shock. "That a problem, Princess?"

I shrugged. "Whatever."

Soda and Dally followed me and Kayla out of the house, and I started pointing things out. "There's my parents house. Did I tell you I got kicked out?"

"Um, no," Kayla said, stopping and turning on me. "When and why did this happen?"

"Oh, um, it happened after the slap," I said with a shrug. "Let's-"

"So, what, he kicked you out because you were right?" Kayla asked.

"Yeah, he told me to get a better attitude, and I don't want to," I explained. "Look, can we-"

"So where are you staying, then?" She asked.

"Here, with Soda, Pony, and Darry," I said. "For now."

"With a bunch of boys?" Kayla asked incredulously.

"They're my _friends_, Kayla." I was starting to get annoyed. "And I don't have anywhere else to go."

"Well," Kayla started, but, after glancing at the boys behind us, she sighed. "I guess that's true."

"Come on, let's go," I said, grabbing her arm an dragging her along behind me. I pointed out the lot, and the park, where Pony and Johnny had gotten jumped, and we began heading towards town.

Once we got to the DX, though, Soda found his way up with me and Kayla, and, as he began to tell her about stuff, I slipped quietly back to walk with Dally. I wasn't really ready to tell her that I worked here yet.

"She's…" Dally paused.

"Bubbly? Energetic? Tiring? All of the above?" I supplied for him.

"Well, I was gonna say crazy, but, sure, anything of what you said works, too," Dally said with a chuckle.

"She is quite the handful," I admitted. "It takes a special person to be friends with her. Of course, she's only like this with a few people. She's a little more reserved at school. Well, when we went to the same school."

"Would you go back?" I looked up at him in confusion. "Back to New York. If you had the chance, that is."

"Maybe to visit," I said.

"What about to move back there?"

"I don't know. Maybe. What's it to ya, Dally?" I asked, grinning up at him. "Woulda miss me?"

"Like hell," Dally said, but I could see something behind his façade. Was he upset about the idea of me leaving? Angry, maybe? But it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. He looked forward. "They seem to be getting along pretty well."

"Doesn't Soda have a girlfriend?" I asked.

"Her parents made her move when they found out Soda wanted to marry her," Dally explained.

"Oh," I said. I looked at Soda and Kayla again. They would make a cute couple. Too bad Kayla had a tendency to play with boys. I'd have to talk to her later.

We walked around for a while, Kayla doing a lot of window shopping, before we finally made our way back to the Curtis'. When we got there, everyone was in the yard. Soda went over to chat with Steve, and Dally went over to Johnny. Kayla and I stood by the outskirts, and I saw that her eyes kept drifting over to Soda.

"How long you gonna stay, now that I told you everything?" I asked.

"Oh, probably a couple days," she said, staring at Soda.

Kyle came over before I could talk to her about Soda.

"So, what do you think of my surprise?" He asked.

"I think," I paused, acting like I was thinking real hard about it. "That it's pretty damn awesome."

"Good to hear, kiddo," Kyle said, grinning. "'Cause I've got another one for you, and you will most certainly hate me for it." I looked at him as he walked over to his car, with Kayla close behind, giggling.

The giggles were what drew everyone's attention over to us.

Kyle walked over to his car, opened the door, and pulled out…

Oh no he didn't. "Kyle… Why?" I asked.

"Because, it's time for you to start sharing who you are with people," he said. He held the object out to me, but I just stared at it. It looked brand new, with polished wood and shining strings.

Kayla stood next to him grinning, a notebook in her hands. "It was my idea, actually."

I stared in horror, not daring to look back at my friends. What would they think?

**A/N: Okay, yeah, this is mean, leaving you with a cliff hanger, but I'd like y'all to guess what the other surprise was (you only need to guess Kyle's, bonus points if you can guess what Kayla has). Sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger and no promise of when I'll update again, but I will try and update soon. Review please! Hope you liked it!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Alright, guys. Here comes the big reveal!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Outsiders.**

**Chapter Twelve**

"Well, don't just stare," Kyle said. "Take it."

I shook my head. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because you're talented, and you need to share your talent," Kyle said. "Just take the damn guitar, Katherine." He didn't sound angry, so I figured he was just trying to make a point.

I continued to stand and stare.

"Well, are you gonna take it?" I turned my head in shock, seeing Dally staring at me. He almost sounded nice. He shrugged, and added, "Not that I care or anything."

"I didn't know you played guitar, Kat," Soda said, finally looking away from the instrument.

"Because I didn't want you to know," I said, crossing my arms.

"Well, why not?" Soda asked.

"Because it ain't tuff," I said defensively.

"Sure it is," Pony finally spoke up. "I mean, if you like it, then it's tuff."

"That ain't how it works, Pony," Dally said. "Just 'cause you read don't make it tuff. Just 'cause she plays a lousy guitar don't make it tuff, either."

"What happened to the nice Dally?" I mumbled, mostly to myself.

"What was that, Princess?" Dally snapped at me. "I'm never nice."

"You seemed all into the idea of me taking the guitar, that's all," I said.

"It ain't polite to refuse a present," Dally said.

"You know, I don't get you Dallas Winston," I said, annoyed. "One second you're nice to me, the next you're the same Dallas I first met when I got here."

"And who was that Dallas?" He asked, smirking.

"A jerk and a hood!" I shouted at him. I turned and stormed past everyone, headed who knows where.

I found myself in the lot, curled in a ball, and fighting tears. I wasn't sure why I wanted to cry; I never cried. Not over something stupid, at least.

"Katherine?" I heard Kayla's voice calling me.

"Kit-Kat? Where are you?" That was Kyel.

"Hey, Kat, don't let Dal get to you. Come on back with us!" That was Johnny.

I sat there waiting to see if anyone else was there, but aside from those three voices calling me, no one else joined in.

Finally, I sat up in the car I was hiding in. I didn't say anything, but they found me quickly.

"Katherine!" Kayla called, running over to me, with Kyle and Johnny close behind. I noticed that she still had the notebook, and Kyle still had the guitar. "Why'd you run?"

"Because.. 'cause... I don't know, 'cause of Dallas," I said.

"He ain't-" Johnny started.

"Don't give me that, Johnny!" I shouted. "I was just warming up to him when he decided to remind me that he ain't the kind of guy I'm looking for, so just stop defending him!"

Johnny just stared at me, hurt in his eyes. It snapped me back to reality, and I instantly regretted what I said.

"Johnny, I-" I started.

"Forget it, Kat. It don't matter none." He turned and headed back to the Curtis', so I assumed.

"Way to go, Katherine," Kayla said.

"Shut up, Kayla. It's your fault any of this happened," I said, but I didn't really mean it, and she knew that.

"You're probably right," she said with a shrug, sitting down next to me. "But it's your job to fix it. So how are you going to do that?"

I sighed.

"You ain't never had a problem music can't solve," Kyle said, sitting down on the other side of me, holding out the guitar. I hesitated, but decided to take it.

Kayla held out my song notebook. I shook my head. "I got 'em all up here," I said, pointing to my head.

I strummed on the guitar, getting a feel for the instrument, and then began to play. It was a slow song, and sad.

_At the end of the day_

_Who am I?_

_Did I change?_

_Or stay the same?_

_Who am I?_

_At the end of the day_

_Did I stay true to who _

_I intend to be?_

_Or did I create a bigger lie?_

_Who am I?_

As I sang, I thought of my life in New York, and how much it had changed since I moved here. But it wasn't a bad change. It was... a relief. I was glad to have met the gang, Dallas included, if I was being honest with myself. Did I miss New York? Of course. But being in Tulsa had really set me free. I was able to be the girl I was around Kayla and Kyle with the guys, and more.

_Hold on to me, please_

_I'm afraid of what I'm becoming,_

_Am I me, or am I just who_

_My parents want me to be?_

_I'm afraid I'm losing_

_Everything about me_

_Everything I like and_

_Hold true to me_

_So tell me now,_

_Who am I?_

_Am I who I should be?_

_Or am I someone else?_

"This is who you are, Kit-Kat," Kyle said, answering my question in my song. "You can't hide it."

"You've got serious talent, Katherine," Kayla said. "I don't really care if you do anything about it career wise, but it's just not right to hide it from your friends."

I looked between the two of them, and sighed. "Could I be by myself for a bit, guys?"

Kyle and Kayla exchanged glances, and then nodded. "Sure, Kit-Kat."

"Don't stay out late, Katherine," Kayla said. I rolled my eyes at her, but nodded.

I started strumming random chords as I watched them leave, and once they disappeared, I looked down at my guitar, play randoms bits of songs I knew. I was engrossed in my guitar, that I didn't hear the footsteps walking up to me.

"What's a girl like you doing out here all alone?" I nearly jumped a foot, I was so startled. I looked up to see Dallas smirking at me.

"That ain't funny, Dally," I glared at him. "I thought you was Bob, or some other Soc trying to mess with me!"

His smirk disappeared. "Sorry, kid."

I continued glaring. "I ain't no kid, either."

"Okay, okay, relax, Kat. What'd I do to get you so riled up?" He asked, sitting down next to me.

I gave him an incredulous look, scooting away from him a bit. "You're kidding me, right?"

He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I... I don't really know what's going on here. What I'm feeling for you, that is."

I stared at him, eyes wide,my heart fluttering a bit. "What are you saying, Dally?"

"I don't know," he said sounding annoyed. "I... well, you're cute."

"You're saying that I'm cute?" I asked, half laughing.

"Yes. No. I don't know!" He cried out. "I'm saying you're interesting. For a girl."

"I'm cute and I'm interesting? Okay, then," I said, giggling, my annoyance towards him forgotten for a moment. "You know, Johnny was-" but I stopped myself mid-sentence, worry crossing my face.

"What is it?" Dally asked, confused at the look on my face.

"Johnny, do you know where he is?" I asked. "No, no it's probably nothing to worry about. It's just..."

"It's just what, Kat?" Dally asked.

"Well, he was standing up for you, like he usually does, and I snapped at him, and he walked away. Did he go back to the Curtis'?" I asked.

"Hell if I know," Dally said. "I didn't pass him on my way here."

"Maybe we should go look," I said.

"You trying to get away from me?" He asked.

"No! And this isn't the time, Dallas!" I shouted at him, my annoyance towards. "Let's just go!"

I stormed away from him and towards the Curtis', hearing nothing but his snickering behind me.

We got back to the Curtis', finding everyone outside where we left them. Everyone except for Johnny.

"Kat, hey, you're-" Soda started.

"Where's Johnny?" I asked, cutting him off.

"I thought he was with you..." Soda said, worry crossing his face. Everyone was looking at me, the same worry that was on Soda's face was on theirs.

"I snapped at him, and I assumed he came back here," I said. "Where else would he have gone?"

I glanced at Ponyboy. "The park, maybe?" He suggested.

Everyone nodded, and headed over there. The sun was setting, and I grew increasingly more worried and guilty. If anything happened to him, it'd be my fault.

"Johnny?" I called when we got to the park. I had pushed ahead of everyone, Dally close behind me. "Johnny! Are you here?"

Silence met my shouts.

"Johnny!" I shouted, even louder. I made my way over to the fountain, looking everywhere, and that's when I heard a low groan.

Icy fear filled my stomach. I walked around the fountain, and saw Johnny laying there, blood splattered on his face and shirt.

"Johnny, oh, God," I whispered. The gang pushed past me, and everyone, Kayla and Kyle included, circled Johnny, asking if he was okay. Even Kayla was at his side.

I stepped backwards, and sunk down against the fountain, and hid my face in my hands, even if it wouldn't hide the tears streaming past my hands, down my cheeks, and into my shirt.

It's all my fault. I shouldn't have snapped at him.

I heard whispering, and I thought I caught my name and Johnny's name, but I wasn't paying too much attention.

Someone sat beside me, and, after a moment of sitting there, they put their arm around me. Without thinking, I lean into the body. It was strong, muscular, and warm and comforting.

After a while, I manage to look up, and my eyes widen in shock.

"W-why are you here, Dally?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said. "You didn't look like you wanted to be around everyone, and I wasn't gonna leave you here."

"B-but why? Why do you care?" I asked, sniffling and wiping my eyes on my sleeve.

"Because... because I don't know!" Dally cried, standing up. Leaving me sitting alone on the ground. "Why do girls need an answer for everything?"

"Because you were so horrible to me when you first met me," I said.

"I'm like that to everyone," Dally said. "You ain't special. Well, you weren't."

I wasn't sure what to say. Once again, Dally was trying to tell me he liked me, but he wasn't sure how.

I decided to change the subject. "How's Johnny?" My voice was a whisper, the only sign that he heard me was his face darkening. He remained silent for a while.

Finally, he said, "He's... alive. Barely."

I fought the new wave of tears threatening to escape my eyes. My shoulder slumped, and I whispered, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Dally asked.

"It's my fault he's hurt," I replied. "I want to see him."

Dally looked at me, then nodded. "Come on, Kat, let's go." He held his hand out to me and helped me up.

We made our way back to the Curtis' house with his arm around me, holding me close.

It felt both wrong and right at the same time. Was Dallas Winston actually being nice to me? Did he actually care? I don't know, maybe this was just an act.

But, for now, it was an act I could live with.

**A/N: Shout out to Chaoscrew and Katlolipop for getting both points (the guitar and song book)! **

**For the record, I did write that song. I'm sure in a few days I won't be so proud of it because I came up with spur of the moment, but, I suppose it's okay.**

**Also, I'm going down to Missouri tomorrow (like, July 18****th****), and even though I'm probably bringing my laptop, I can't promise how much I'll write while I'm down there. I'll be gone until Sunday, so I'll see you guys when I get back! Let me know what you think of the chapter! Thanks!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I guess it's kind of been a while, I've been getting lazy, I guess. That's a really lame excuse. I'm sorry. At any rate, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I (still) do not own the outsiders.**

**Chapter Thirteen**

I hurried into the Curtis' house, and found everyone gathered around the couch. I pushed passed everyone - or, rather, I would have, but everyone stepped aside for me.

"Johnny?" I whispered, staring down at him. His face was cut and a bruised, and his eyes were nearly swollen shut. At the sound of my voice, he turned his head slightly, looking up at me through half open eyes.

"Hey," he whispered. He gave me a weak smile.

"Oh, God… Johnny… I-I'm so sorry," I whispered. I wouldn't cry, I knew I wouldn't, not here, anyways, but I could feel the tears. They'd come, but later. "This is all my fault."

"No it ain't," he said. "I should know better than to run off like that, 'specially at night. It was all-" but he broke off his sentence with a fit of coughing.

"Just stop talking," I said softly, brushing his hair away from his eyes. "I'll take care of you. You don't need to worry no more."

He smiled and closed his eyes.

I spent the whole night taking care of him. I dozed off once, and was jolted awake by Dally telling me I should sleep. I shrugged him off and got a wet rag to clean Johnny's face again.

In the morning light, Johnny didn't look so bad, and after a night of sleeping, he was able to sit up enough for use to help him eat.

After a day of rest, he was walking again, and acting almost like the old Johnny again. I could tell he was hiding how he really felt, though. Probably for my benefit. He looked more scared than normal under his façade, and it killed me that he was probably going to be like that his whole life. I crossed my arms, leaned against a tree, and frowned at the ground.

"Quit blaming yourself, would ya?" I looked up to see Dally half glaring, half smirking at me.

"Why? It's my fault." My voice was flat, and I looked back at the ground.

"It ain't. Johnny knows better than to run around alone at night," Dally said.

"But-" I started.

"No buts dammit!" Dally shouted suddenly. I jumped, and a couple of our friends looked over at us. "Look, kid, you gotta be tough. Block out your emotions. You can't care for no one but yourself."

"That's deep. You think that up all by yourself?" I asked sarcastically.

He shrugged. "It's the truth of the world."

"Yeah? How far has that gotten you, Dally?"

"I'm here, ain't I?"

"Sure, but are you happy?" I asked him. He stared at me, but I didn't wait for an answer.

I walked away from the Curtis' house, and into town, towards the DX to start my shift with Steve. Soda took part of the day off to help take care of Johnny, but he said he'd be in later. Mike didn't seem to care if we took time off, since we had so few customers.

I spent most of the day by myself, sulking.

Finally, Steve confronted me. "You ain't still blaming yourself, are you?" Steve asked.

"I gotta, since no one else will," I mumbled.

"It ain't anyone's fault but Johnny's," Steve said. "I mean, we ain't gonna say that to him, but he knows it. He knows better tan to wonder around alone at night. Everyone does."

"Everyone keeps saying that," I said. "But the truth of the matter is that _I_ snapped at him. He got mad at me and walked off. So even if he knows better, he was upset and wasn't thinking straight, and that was because of _me_."

"You're seriously still going on about this?" A new voice asked. I looked up to see Kayla coming into the DX with Soda. "Well, you did always have a problem blaming yourself. You know, the world doesn't revolve around you, Katherine. Not everything is about you, and not everything is your fault. So would you get over it already? Please?"

I stared at her for a moment, and then burst out laughing.

She looked confused. "What'd I say? Honest to God, I was going for serious this time, not funny."

That made me laugh even harder. I doubled over, and sunk to the floor. Finally, my laughter subsided, and I looked at Kayla and say, "You said 'please'. You never say 'please'."

She crossed her arms and glared at me. "Yes I do. I _always_ say please. It's polite."

"Let me rephrase. You never say 'please' to _me_," I said, grinning up at her.

Her arms were still crossed, but her glare had softened into a smirk. "Yeah, you're right, aren't you? Oh, hey, by the way, Johnny is practically good as new. So you don't need to worry about anything. Well, with that said, I'm heading back the Curtis'. Bye, Soda." She flashed him her usual flirty grin, and waved."

I made a disgusted sound, stood up, and pushed past the two boys.

"What?" Soda asked.

"Can't you see she's messing with you, Soda? She does this with _every_ boy she meets," I said. "She's such a flirt. It's rather disgusting."

"I don't know what you mean, she's just being nice," Soda said.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever you say. Don't say I didn't warn you, though." He was like every other guy I tried to warn. But this time, I'd stop Kayla before could set her trap.

I grabbed my paycheck from Mike as I headed home with Steve and Soda after a typical boring day.

Halfway home, Kayla popped up, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Hey, all! How was work?" She didn't wait for an answer, though. She turned to me immediately. "Hey, Katherine, we need to talk."

"Yeah, we do," I said. I knew we had different things in mind, but now she knew I needed to talk to her, too.

We let the boys walk ahead of us.

"Alright, you first," she said.

I looked at her, and said, "Don't mess with Soda."

"What? I-" she started.

"Quit playing your stupid games with him. He's a good guy," I said.

"Katherine, I-"

"Quit flirting with him. I don't want to see him like all the other guys you mess with."

"I-"

"He's perfect without-"

"God dammit, Katherine!" I was so startled by her swearing, that I didn't interrupt her this time. "Let me talk. Jeez!" She sighed. "Like I was saying, I'm not just playing games. Not this time. Believe it or not, I-I think I'm starting to like him. Like, genuinely like-like him."

I stared at her, wide eyed, and I started giggling. "We haven't said 'like-like since middle school!"

She giggled too. "Yeah, we haven't."

"But, are you serious?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's why I have a proposition for you," she said.

"What's that?"

She looked at the ground, took a deep breath, and finally looked at me. "Come back to New York with me."

"What?" I asked. My voice raised a couple of octaves, and I stopped dead in my tracks.

Soda and Steve turned around, curious.

"Please, come back to New York with me," Kayla begged.

"B-but my parents…" I trailed off, knowing it was a lame excuse.

"Kicked you out," Kayla reminded me.

"Kyle…"

"Goes where he wants to. He'll probably follow you back New York, if anything," Kayla said. "You can stay with me. My dad knows what your dad did, but he doesn't blame you, and school would be fine now."

"I-I couldn't intrude," I mumbled weakly.

"We've known you for ages, Katherine! You wouldn't be intruding!" Kayla exclaimed. "Please?" She looked like she was about to cry.

I stared at her until I was finally able to slowly shake my head and step back. "Kayla, I am home." Before she could say anything that would make me feel guilty, or started crying, I turned and ran.

I didn't know how far I ran when I ran right into someone. All I knew is that if Kayla, Steve, or Soda followed me, I lost them. I looked up into the eyes of a very confused Dallas Winston.

"Do I need to kick someone's ass?" He asked.

I shook my head, and started sobbing.

Why was I crying? I wasn't sure. Was it because Kayla wanted me to choose between two different lives?

After a moment of my sobbing into Dally's chest, and me clutching his shirt, his arms hesitantly wrapped around me.

"Um, what's wrong?" He asked.

I was torn between being sarcastic and yelling at him, so I decided to go with the truth. "Kayla asked me to go back to New York with her."

"So why are you crying?" He asked. "Are you saying goodbye or something?"

I pulled back and smacked him. "No, dummy! I'm crying because I want to go… and because I want to stay." My shoulders slumped.

"So what are you going to do?" He asked.

"I-I don't know," I mumbled to the ground. The I looked up at him. "What should I do?"

**A/N: Well, here ya go! Sorry it's kinda a cliffy. Just for the record, I'm going camping this Thursday to Sunday. I'm gonna try and write some stuff (with pen and paper -gasp- I can't believe those actually exist haha) but no promises. I need to read Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Sea of Monsters before August 7****th****, which is unlikely, so I'm gonna try to read it before my boyfriend gets home.**

**But, actually, I have a question for you guys. Would you prefer me to hurry and finish this, or keep posting (or at least try and keep posting) at the rate I have been posting? Because, I'll be honest, I think the story is coming to an end here pretty quickly. So let me know if you want me to work only on this story (and kind of neglect my other stories) and crank out the last few chapters (not exactly how many more there will be) or if you want me to kind of drag it out, and work on other stories while I work on this one. Let me know in your review! Thanks for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I really, really tried to work on this, but I got super stuck. But, here's the next chapter. Hope it was worth waiting for.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the outsiders. I own Katherine, Kyle, Kayla, and Drew.**

**Chapter Fourteen**

"Okay, so Kayla just flung this at you?" Dally asked.

"Yeah," I said. I had finally - finally! - stopped sobbing into Dally's shirt, but I was still crying quietly, but I was still sort of crying silently to myself a little.

"And you want to stay here?" He asked.

"Yes… No! I- don't know." Another wave of sobs wracked through my body.

"Hey, hey, hey! No more crying!" Dally held his hands up helplessly, like he was surrendering, unsure of what to do. He added, mostly to himself, "Jeez, you girls…"

"I'm sorry," I said, taking a deep breath and controlling my tears. I took a deep and continued talking. "I-I miss New York, I miss the way I used to live, and I miss Kayla… But you, Johnny, the whole gang, you've all been wonderful. It's changed my life; you've all taught me what it means to live on your own."

"Then stay," Dally said with a shrug.

"But what about Kayla?" I asked.

"Who cares about Kayla?" He asked. I looked at him aghast. He'd been so nice, and now, suddenly, the old, mean Dally was back. He sighed, and, as if reading my mind, added, "What I mean is, you need to worry about you. She might offer you this, but just because she does, doesn't mean you have to accept. It's your choice."

I stared at him, and, slowly, a grin crept across my face. "If I didn't know any better, Dallas Winston, I'd say you cared about me." It could have been a trick of the light, but I thought I saw him blush. A though occurred to me suddenly, and I said, "Come to think of it, you've been a bit nicer to me as of late."

"What?" He half asked, half exclaimed. "That's not true! I-I'm never nice!"

"Why so defensive?" I teased. "And was that a stutter? Did _the_ Dallas Winston stutter in the presence of a girl?"

He was tongue tied. He kept opening and closing his mouth, as if he couldn't figure out what to say. He was saved from answering, though, by none other than Kayla.

"Katherine!" She called running up to us. "Hi Dallas. Look, Katherine, I don't need an answer now, just let me do a few things for you - to remind you of New York. Please?"

"I hesitate, but finally nodded. "Okay, fine."

"Yay! You won't regret this, I promise!" She grabbed my arm and dragged me back to the Curtis'.

After a quick word with Darry, Kayla directed me to the bathroom, dragging a chair behind her, and locked the door behind us.

"Sit, but don't face the mirror," she ordered.

I did as I was told, but added jokingly, "You're not gonna turn me into a clown, are you?"

She just laughed, and got to work brushing the knots I didn't eve know were in my hair. Kayla spent a good deal of time talking about how my hair was too short for this, and too short for that. At one point she left, and I heard her asking for scissors.

"I don't think we have any," Darry confessed. "We use our blades for everything.

"Here, use my blade," Johnny said. I figured he tossed it to her, because I heard her scream, and a second later, I heard a knife clattering to the floor.

The boys laughed. "Relax," Two-Bit said. "It's not out, it can't hurt you."

Kayla returned to the bathroom, slightly red in the face. I giggled. "Shut up," She said, switching the blade open menacingly.

"Ooh, Kayla's got a knife, I'm so scared," I teased.

"I said shut up," she growled.

"Actually, I am kind of scared," I said as she grabbed some of hair. "Do you know what you're doing?"

"More or less," she said.

"'More or less'?" I asked

She giggled, but said no more.

Having my hair cut by a switch blade hurt like hell, but I didn't whine. Too much, at least.

Finally, after struggling a bit to close the blade, she put it down on the sink. Stepping in front of me, I saw she had a bag of make-up. I raised an eyebrow questioningly, but she said nothing about it, and I didn't ask. As she put make-up on me, I allowed myself to remember the old days in New York. She always did my hair and make-up before a dance, or a social gathering. I felt more nostalgic than I cared to admit.

"Okay, I'm done," she finally said. "We just need to do one more thing." From out of nowhere, she pulled a dress - a dress I recognized well.

"Where…?" I trailed off, partly because I was in shock, partly because I knew she knew the question.

"I made my parents buy it - a long with a lot of your clothes - when I heard your father was selling them all," she said with a shrug.

The dress she held was supposed to be worn to my senior year prom. Of course, I never made it. Not to the one at my old school in New York. I suddenly realized that I'd be able to go to the one here, in Tulsa. Did I even want to, though? That was something I wasn't sure about.

The dress was short. Not super short, but it would rest just above my knees when I put it on. It was pink, but it had a light blue, silk, translucent cover over it, blending the two colors together. There was a pink, silk bow on the waist, and the dress sleeves sort of belled out on my shoulders.

I stared at the dress for the longest time before Kayla finally said, "Well, put t on!"

I didn't think I wanted to anymore. Sure it was pretty - beautiful, actually - but it wasn't quite me.

Reluctantly, I changed into the dress.

"And now, for the big reveal," she said, a huge smile plastered on her face. She grabbed my shoulders and turned me around to face the mirror.

I almost didn't recognize my reflection. Kayla had trimmed my hair so that it layered, and the longest parts fell to my chin. She didn't put a lot of make-up on - she never did - but it was enough to emphasize my eyes.

"Well, what do you think?" Kayla asked.

"It's - I'm beautiful. But… it's not me. Not anymore," I said. I looked at her with an apologetic smile on my face. "Thank you, though."

She nodded, with a sad smile on her face. "I thought you'd say as much. This was kind of a test. I wanted to see who you'd become by being here."

"You know," I said, looking back at the mirror. "Kyle always said I was a Soc at heart. But I think he was wrong."

"I agree," she nodded. "But you certainly aren't a Greaser at heart, either."

I looked at her in confusions. "What do you mean."

"I mean you're you at heart, Katherine. You always have been. You've never cared much for boys - not the fancy ones at least." Her eyes wondered to the door, and I wondered if she was thinking of Dally. "You always said you never talked to boys because you were only to speak when spoken to, but that's a lie. You didn't want to be with guys who would just give you money. You wanted guys with backbone, guys who really lived life. Guys like Dally. You were always staring at the Greasers at our school. I don't think anyone but me noticed it, though. You should stay here, Katherine. This is your home now."

"Does this mean you're leaving?" I asked.

"Yeah, probably, it's just…" she trailed off, eyes wondering to the door again. This time I knew what she was thinking.

"It's Soda, isn't it?" I asked. She nodded, and I said, "He gets to everyone. But, Kayla, are you sure you like him? You've never really liked any guys."

"That's not true!" She exclaimed, but then sighed and said, "Okay, yeah, I guess it is. But, hey!" She instantly perked up. "Let's not think of that. I need to show off my work of art!"

"What do you-" But I stopped when she grabbed my arm, and pulled me out the door. "Wait! Kayla, I-" Unfortunately, we were already in the living room, the entire gang, plus Kyle, staring at us.

Correction, staring at _me_.

I blushed and stared at the ground, unsure of what to do. I always hated modeling things for people.

"Wow." Someone finally spoke, and, naturally, it was the one and only Dallas Winston. I bit my lip and blushed more. I hoped no one noticed.

"I-it's not that big of a deal," I said. "And it ain't me anyways." I turned and headed back into the bathroom.

I heard Kayla sigh, but she didn't try to stop me, so I figured it would be okay to change and wipe the make-up off my face.

"Knock-knock," Kayla said at the door. I turned my head and smiled. "Katherine, I think I need to go home."

I was about to ask why, and beg her to stay, but I stopped myself, remembering how she had easily accepted my choice. I nodded. "Yeah, you probably do. This ain't the place for you."

Kayla stared at me a moment, then started giggling. "They've really rubbed off on you, haven't they?" I looked at her, confused, and she sighed, and added, "You never spoke like that before. And you seem… I don't, stronger, I guess. If that's even possible."

I shrugged. "Life here is a little tougher than in New York. Or, maybe the where doesn't matter. Maybe it's all about status. I don't know, but, regardless, it's tougher here, but I actually feel like I'm living. Living for me, not for my parents, and that's really great. I probably won't be able to go to college anymore. Maybe if I study really hard, I can get a full ride somewhere, but, besides that, I have so many things to be happy about."

Kayla hugged me suddenly. I was shocked, but I hugged her back. "You're the strongest person I know, Katherine. I'd never be able to live like this." She pulled back, smiled, and said. "I like things too much." We both laughed at that, because it was true.

"I'm not trying to change your mind or anything," I said, as I got dressed into my jeans and t-shirt. "But if you stayed, I bet you and Soda would hit it off real quick."

"I bet you're right," she said. "But I like flittering too much to be able to have a boyfriend. Besides, my parents would flip if I never came home."

"Speaking of your parents, what was your excuse to come down here?" I asked, curiously.

"I wanted to see you," she said with a shrug.

"Oh, that's not like you," I replied. "I figured you'd make up some crazy story about a boy or something."

"Not this time. I've used that excuse a lot lately, and I didn't want them to say I couldn't go. But my friends, on the other hand, think I've eloped to Mexico with some hot model."

I burst out laughing. "Now that sounds like you. What's your break up story, then?"

"Still thinking about that. Either he's actually a prince, and when we got to Mexico, I found out he already had a fiancé, so I dumped him and hitch hiked back to New York, or that half way there, we stopped at a rest area, and I saw him get shot and killed. Or maybe I caught him cheating. Like I said, I'm still figuring it out."

"Your stories get crazier and crazier," I said, shaking my head.

"I know, I'm surprised no one's caught on yet."

We headed out into the living room, and Kayla talked to Kyle about leaving the next day.

"I ain't leaving 'till Kit-Kat here plays a song for everyone," Kyle said.

"So if I never play a song, then you can never leave? Perfect," I said with a grin.

Kyle sighed. "Fine, if you don't play your guitar, I take Kayla home and never come back."

"Nothing new there," I said with a shrug, which was true.

"You are infuriating, Katherine!" Kyle exclaimed. "Why don't you just play the damn guitar?"

"Because I don't want to," I said stubbornly.

Kyle and I stared at each other, neither one of us willing to lose this argument.

**A/N: Sorry, that's kind of a crap ending for a chapter, I just wasn't sure how else to end it. I think you guys are gonna like the next chapter, though. See y'all next time!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! You guys are sure to love it!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one except Kyle, Katherine, Kayla, and Drew.**

**Chapter Fifteen:**

"Why not play it?" Johnny asked.

"Because I don't want to!" I cried. I sighed. "Please, Kyle, just drop it."

He opened his mouth to argue, but the look on my face made him change his mind. "Whatever. Kayla, make sure you're ready to leave tomorrow."

She nodded, and everyone seemed to go back to what they were doing before they were interrupted. I met Kayla's eyes, and she looked like she was about to come over to me, but before she could even take a step, someone grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the house.

I looked to see Dally, but he was looking straight ahead. I'm not sure where he got it, but he had my guitar in his other hand.

We finally stopped in the lot. He pushed me down into one of the cars and shoved the guitar at me.

We stared wordlessly at each other, and I refused to even acknowledge the guitar.

"Dammit, Kat, play the damn thing, would you?" He finally asked.

"Why?" I asked, half curious, half annoyed.

"Because… because I said so," he said. I raised my eyebrow at him. "And because I-I wanna hear you play…"

My eyes widened, and after a moment, I burst out laughing.

"What's so funny? I ain't trying to be funny," he said, narrowing his eyes at me.

"You're funny, silly," I said, grinning at him. My smile faded a moment later, though, and I added, "I didn't realize you even cared about me playing guitar."

"I-I don't! I-" He stopped himself mid-sentence, and said instead, "Actually, I-I think I…" He trailed off, and looked at the ground.

I leaned toward him, the urge to kiss him strong, but, inches from his face, I changed my mind, and grabbed the guitar from his hand.

"I, uh, I know you like Elvis, but I, uh, I only know Beatle tunes, so, um, if you want to hear me play, it's them or I don't play at all." I didn't feel the need to mention my own songs, it would be a while before I played something of mine for anyone but Kayla, Kyle, or myself.

He looked ready to say something snide, but changed his mind and nodded.

I took a deep breath, looked down my guitar, and started strumming:

_Can't buy me love, love_

_Can't buy me love,_

_I'll buy you a diamond ring, my friend, _

_If it makes you feel alright!_

_I'll get you anything, my friend, _

_If it makes you feel alright!_

_Cause I don't care too much for money,_

_Money can't buy me love!_

_I'll give you all I've got to give,_

_If you say you'll love me too!_

_I may not have a lot to give,_

_But what I got I'll give to you!_

_I don't care too much for money_

_Money can't buy me love!_

The whole time I was playing, I refused to look up at Dally. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before I was finishing up the song.

_Say you don't need no diamond ring,_

_And I'll be satisfied!_

_Tell me that you want the kind of thing,_

_That money just can't buy!_

_I don't care too much for money,_

_Money can't buy me love!_

_Can't buy me love, love!_

_Can't buy me love!_

I finished the song, but kept staring at the ground for a while.

Finally, Dally grabbed my chin, and, surprisingly gently, tilted my head up and did the unexpected. He kissed me.

I was too shocked to even close my eyes, and I felt a blush crossing my face.

The kiss was short, too short if you asked me, and soon Dally slowly pulled back.

We stared at each other, and I was sure my face was bright red. Finally, I grinned, and said, "I knew you were being nicer to me. I thought you were never nice?"

"I'm not," he growled. He moved my guitar, pushed me so I was laying down, and kissed me again, harder this time.

We were so wrapped up in ourselves that we didn't hear anyone come up until they coughed and banged on the car.

We jumped, and slid as far apart as possible. I looked over to see Drew.

My eyes narrowed, and I asked, "What do you want, Drew?"

"Nothing from you," he said flatly. "I'm here for Winston. I have a message for you."

"Yeah? Well spit it out, then," Dally spat.

"Bob's pretty upset, mostly about _her_," he jerked his head at me. "He wants a rumble, and he wants you to spread the word. He knows you won't back down and he knows you'll get everyone there. This Friday, midnight." With that said, Drew turned and marched away.

Dally sighed, and I looked over. "You aren't actually thinking about this, are you?"

"'Course I am," Dally said. "I gotta."

"No you don't!" I cried. "You don't gotta do nothing! Rumbles get people killed, Dally!"

"You think I don't know that?" He asked. "But I can't back down."

"Dally," I said, looking at him with concern, and trying my best not to start crying. "Dally, I've seen Kyle after rumbles, I don't wanna see you that way. And what if the police show up?"

"Then I get sent to the cooler, nothing new there," he said. "Look, girl, just 'cause I kissed you don't mean you can boss me around. I can handle myself."

"Everyone says that," I muttered to myself, casting my eyes down.

"Relax, I can, I promise," he said.

"Okay, fine, I'll back you up," I said, the idea suddenly popping into my head.

"Ain't no way in hell a girls backing me up," Dally said. "Besides, I don't wanna see you get hurt."

"Oh, so you can go, but I can't?" I asked incredulously. "You can worry about me, but I can't worry about you?"

"It ain't no place for a girl," Dally said.

"I can handle myself," I said angrily, and, grabbing my guitar, I jumped out of the car we were sitting in, and hurried off.

I didn't realize I was crying until I was halfway back to the Curtis' house. I angrily wiped the tears away, but it wasn't quick enough.

"Kat?" I looked up and saw Johnny.

I hurriedly wiped at my eyes, but he already saw.

"Kat, what's wrong?" He asked, as he hurried over to me.

"I-it's nothing," I said, trying to force a smile. "N-nothing at all."

"It's something," Johnny pressed.

"Yeah? Well, you'll find out about it soon enough," I said.

"Hey, Kat!" I looked over my shoulder to see Dally headed this way.

"Actually, you'll find out now," I said, "Ask Dallas." I stormed off, and heard Johnny ask Dally what's going on. Dally started talking about the rumble.

Fighting. It made me sick.

When I reached the Curtis house, I dropped off the guitar in the yard, and since no one was there, I made my way off to who knows where.

**A/N: Well, I hope you didn't wait too long, and I hope you liked it! School starts in, like, a week and a half for me, so I don't know how often I'll be posting. I need to get into the groove of things, and I need to bring my GPA up to a 3.5 to get into Phi Theta Kapa at my school. Anyways, hope you enjoyed! See you guys next time!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Guys, I've got a CRAZY week ahead of me. I work EVERY FREAKING DAY, not to mention I worked yesterday (Saturday) and today (Sunday). Monday I work 12-8:15, Tuesday I work 12-8:15, Wednesday I work fucking 8:15-8:15 (pardon my French, I'm annoyed with this) Thursday is my short day and I work 4-8:15, but I also have my first class Thursday, and then Friday I work 8:15-5:15. I can't wait for the weekend and my week hasn't even started. Bright side, though, my boyfriend comes home Saturday! I miss him! I can't wait to see him again!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my characters.**

**Chapter Sixteen**

Friday was two days away, I thought to myself miserably as I kicked a rock down the street.

I decided to make my way to The Dingo, but I wasn't sure why, so when I got there, I stood against the wall for about twenty minutes scowling at the ground. I finally decided to get a coke to go, and started walking around again.

I was walking past someone's house - or maybe it was a bar, I speculated by the loud noise coming from the house - when someone called over to me.

"Hey, there, girl!" I froze, it was never good when someone called me like that, and slowly turned around.

I gave the man a smile, and asked, "Can I help ya?"

"Ain't you the new greaser girl hangin' out with Dally's crew?" He asked, sounding drunk.

"Depends, who are you?" I asked.

"Name's Buck," he said.

I thought about it, and then remembered I had been here. "You know Dally, right?"

"Sure do, we're rodeo partners," he said proudly. "Hey, come on in and get off the street, it ain't safe for a girl like you to be out on the street."

I was about to argue that I could take care of myself, but a thought occurred to me. I didn't know much about Buck, but I knew enough to know that Dally wouldn't want me hanging with him. "Sure, sounds like a great idea."

I followed buck inside where, sure enough, there was a party. Almost everyone was shouting, couples were in the corner making out, and shirtless, and very attractive, men were playing pool in the other room. This was a terrible idea, and I should have turned around and ran straight back to Dally, or Kyle - or anyone not in this building. But I was mad at Dallas, and I was going to stay here.

Buck grabbed the nearly empty coke bottle from my hand. "Let's get rid of that coke, shall we? Here." He handed me a can of beer, and I stared at it. I had never, never, _ever_ drank anything except maybe a sip or two of my mother's glass of wine when no one was looking.

"Don't tell me you don't drink?" Buck teased me.

_That_ pissed me off. "Of course I do!" I said angrily, grabbing the beer and taking a swig of it. It was bitter, and tasted awful, and I wanted to spit it back out. In fact, I _did_ spit it back out.

Buck laughed. "You don't drink, do ya?"

"Actually, I prefer drinks a little… harder," I smiled, hoping that was the right word.

"That so, Princess?" Buck asked, reminding me a hell of a lot of Dally. "Well, then, follow me." Buck put his arm around me, holding me much closer to him than I ever wanted to be, and led me to a cellar behind the bar. Where we were alone.

"Take your pick," he said, holding his arm out to indicate the shelves of whiskey and vodka and who knows what else.

"Uh… surprise me," I said. The only reason I made myself keep going with this was because of Dallas. I wanted to make him _mad_.

After a few minutes, Buck returned with a dark concoction of who knows what. He grinned, and I noticed for the first time that his front teeth were gone. "Enjoy."

I hesitated a moment, staring at the drink, then remembered what Dally said to me earlier. _Look, girl, just 'cause I kissed you don't mean you can boss me around. I can handle myself. Ain't no way in hell a girls backing me up. It ain't no place for a girl._ I grabbed the drink from his hand, and gulped it down, ignoring the alcohol burning my throat. I finished the drink in one gulp, and held out the glass to Buck, meeting his eyes evenly. I didn't feel the alcohol effecting me… yet.

"Want more?" He asked. I just stared at him.

I was feeling the alcohol after the second drink, and I was drinking slower by the third. Buck handed me my fourth drink, and, after a couple minutes, I finished it.

"That all you got for me, Buck?" I asked, slurring my words. The world was starting to spin, but I was able to focus on Buck's face… sort of.

"Drink wise, yeah, that's all I got for ya," he said, backing me up against a wall. "But I got a little something else for you."

"Wha's that?" I slurred.

He didn't answer with words, instead, his lips crashed down on mine, and I blacked out.

**A/N: I'm sorry this is so short, and it's kind of a cliffy, but I don't know when I'll be able to update again, what with my CRAZY week ahead of me. I wanted to get this next chapter up while I could, and one of my reviewers gave me a great idea, so I think I can keep this story going for a while. I can't remember which reviewer, but I wouldn't tell you if I knew, because I want the idea to be a surprise. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope it was a relatively shocking chapter. I know I kinda threw Buck in there, but, oh well. Review! See ya!**


End file.
